Stellar Mistakes
by Wild Rhov
Summary: Lucy has no clue what happened last night, only that she was out drinking with some coworkers and woke up in a hotel with a hangover and hickeys. Then she gets a text: "I want to see you again tonight." With that message, she finds herself in a dangerous and exciting workplace romance. Can a one-night stand turn into something more?
1. What Happened Last Night

_A/N: Based on the otome "Irresistible Mistakes."_

* * *

 **Stellar Mistakes**

a _Fairy Tail_ fanfic

by Rhov

.

Chapter 1

 **What Happened Last Night**

Sunlight burned Lucy's eyes. A familiar ache pierced her head. A hangover? Did she drink a lot?

As she opened her eyes, she saw a vast window with an unfamiliar skyline. The bed felt too stiff. There were two chairs, and clothing tossed all around. To the side was a small table with leftovers of two meals, red-stained glasses, and three empty wine bottles.

Yep, she drank too much.

But where was she? This was not her apartment. Was it a hotel?

As she sat up in bed and the sheets tumbled down, she realized she was naked. She gasped as she saw red ovals on her breasts, and felt a similar ache on her neck. Hickeys! She realized the clothing scattered around was both hers and some man's, with a tie draped limply over a lamp and boxers underneath her bra.

Her addled brain woke up instantly as she realized what apparently happened.

' _I … Oh God, what did I do?_ '

It was obvious even to her, yet she could hardly believe it.

' _ **Who**_ _did I do?_ '

Who? What a question to ask! Yet she could not recall anything at all. Whose clothes were these? What happened? Where was she and how did she get there?

Whom did she sleep with?

' _Oh God, did we use a condom?_ '

She leaped as she heard a toilet flush, followed by the sound of a shower running in the bathroom. The man was still there. Whoever had spent the night with her was in the shower.

Her heart began to race. How could this happen? She had never let herself end up like this before. Shame flushed her cheeks, and fear of consequences made her want to flee right away. For all she knew, this was a rapist or serial killer or…

Well, there was a glass of water by her side of the bed, a bottle of Aspirin, her phone had been plugged into a charger, and someone had set out a fluffy robe. A courteous rapist? No! Obviously she got drunk, went to a hotel with some man, and had sex. Dammit, who? Did she even want to know? Her throat at least desperately needed the water, her head needed the Aspirin, and she felt too exposed, so she pulled around the robe.

She picked up her phone as if it could protect her. She was careful not to make a noise as she tiptoed to the bathroom. Peeking through the steam, she saw the frosted door of a shower, and on the other side the silhouette of a man. Who, though? She wanted to know and yet didn't. When she stepped in a little closer, the water suddenly turned off.

"You're awake."

Lucy gasped and pulled back. Crap!

"How about a shower?"

His voice was muffled through the steam and shower door, but the deep sound still thumped through Lucy's heart. This man and her… He sounded amiable, at least. She had definitely been drunk, but really, what happened?

He was waiting for an answer. Timidly, Lucy replied, "Ah, no thanks."

Just as she was wondering what to say, the phone in her hand buzzed with a text. It was her manager at work. ' _Your storyboards that were due this weekend are now due_ _ **today**_ _._ '

Lucy panicked all over again. Storyboards? Crap! She wasn't done with them, she thought she had a few more days. She needed to get to work in a hurry.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," she said in a rush to the mystery man.

"What?" he asked, not clearly hearing her voice through the shower door.

Lucy yanked back, ran into the main room of the hotel, and pulled on her clothes. They were rumpled, reeked of some alcohol she had spilled, but she needed to get out of there. Just as she heard the shower door opening, she slipped on her heels, grabbed up her purse, and raced out of the room.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

After stopping off at home to shower, change clothes, fix her hair, and feed her dog Plue, Lucy made it to the train station and to work. She had wanted to get to work early that day, but instead she got there just barely on time.

' _What a disaster_ ,' she sighed to herself as she looked up at the building.

Pieces of the night before began to come back to her. She had gone out to a bar with a large group from work. They were all celebrating, and Lucy recalled now, she actually had quite a lot to drink. It was fun to hang out with everyone from Fairy Tail, but they did tend to get rowdy. She had allowed herself to get swept up into the chaos. They were drinking, cheering, someone began to sing…

It faded after that. Lucy had no memory of leaving the bar or arriving at that hotel. Then she left without even getting a look at the face of the man she had slept with.

' _I'm the worst_ ,' she lamented.

Just as she let out a weary sigh, her phone rang. She assumed at first that it was her manager, but the number on the screen was unfamiliar. Who could it be? She almost clicked _Accept_ out of reflex, but her finger stopped just before tapping the screen.

What if it was the guy from the hotel?

What should she do? Pick up? Ignore it? If it was that guy, what could she say?

The phone kept ringing, so she clicked to ignore it. She rushed on, but the phone rang again with the same number. In sheer panic, she clicked again to ignore it. She felt like she was running away from something horrible as the phone began to ring yet again with the same number. Lucy smashed her finger down to ignore the call. She was close to turning her phone off just to stop this taunting. Instead, she put it on silent and shoved it deep into her purse, where she could ignore its vibrating.

If it was that guy, that meant he knew her number. But how? Did she give it to him last night, or … or was it someone she knew? She had been out with people from Fairy Tail, after all. What if she actually slept with someone from work?

She slammed her anxiety down and put up a confident exterior as she walked into the corporate building where she worked.

Fairy Tail was the second largest ad agency in Fiore, just behind Sabertooth. Lucy had been there for a few years already, and there was not a day that she did not push herself in writing powerful commercials that would resonate with their clients as well as the consumers.

"Good morning," she called out to coworkers, beaming a smile.

They replied with a good morning, and she was glad to see that their weariness turned into a smile at her cheerfulness. She enjoyed cheering up others.

That morning, though, she felt like she was the one who needed a little light in her own life.

It was a morning rush of employees coming in, some hurrying to elevators to go up to their divisions, some stopping in the foyer to chat with coworker friends until the crowd thinned out. Lucy did not see her friends from work, so she tried to make it through the crowd. Suddenly, a group of women near her began to talk excitedly.

"Isn't that Mr. Leo?"

"You're right. God, he's handsome!"

Lucy heard a sharp clacking of shoes drawing nearer. She felt a little nervous as she looked around and saw a gentleman with brilliant orange hair walking through the foyer toward where she was by the elevator.

"Ah! Good day to you, Mr. Leo," came an enthused greeting.

"Morning," Loke said absently, but the employee looked honored to have been greeted.

A lady boldly stepped up, but not in his way. "Good morning, Mr. Leo."

He tipped his head as he walked on by with barely a look in her direction. "Morning."

Loke Leo _the Lion_! He was Creative Director and the star of Fairy Tail. He was called _the Lion_ for two reasons: he fiercely fought for ad spots on television, and he was a known flirt, although never at work. He was impeccably dressed and carried himself gracefully.

Lucy thought to herself, how could anyone, male or female, not be captivated by his perfect form walking through the foyer? He truly was in a class of his own. They had never actually talked nor worked together, but Lucy felt honored just to have him as the head of her department.

With that high position of his, although they worked in the same office, they might as well be on different planets. His world was not hers. She was merely a concept writer.

"Did you hear, Mr. Leo won another award yesterday?" came a few whispers.

"How can he come up with so many stellar ideas? He's brilliant."

Lucy knew he was. It was a commercial he had created years ago that made her want to work for Fairy Tail. He truly was her inspiration, her idol, and she felt nervous being anywhere close to him. Now he was the distinguished head of her department.

Loke drew closer on his way to the elevator, and Lucy was about to bow and greet him formally when Loke paused in front of her.

"Good morning, Miss Heartfilia."

Her mouth dropped. Wait … he knew her name? She was just some lowly employee. Why had he singled her out like that?

Before she could even muster out a "Morning," he walked on, heading straight into an elevator that was nearly full with other workers, yet she felt his eyes were still on her until the doors slid closed, sweeping him away.

"What … just happened?" she muttered.

"Lucy!"

She jumped as she heard her friends Levy and Cana running up to her. Judging by their excitement, they had witnessed what happened.

"Did Mr. Leo just talk to you?" Levy asked, her words spilling over in a rush.

Lucy felt stunned by the honor. "It … It wasn't _talking_ so much as … as just saying hello."

Cana playfully nudged her shoulder. "Are you sure about that? He singled you out over everyone else. He didn't greet anyone else by name, barely even looked at them, but you! He stopped in front of you and gave you a personal greeting. He even knows your name."

"Well, we do work in the same department. He probably just heard my name from somewhere."

"Uh-huh," Cana said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Come on, spill it. Something happened last night at the bar."

"What are you…"

Lucy froze. Another part of her memory came into focus.

…

 _Many people from the ad agency were at that bar, all celebrating the award Mr. Leo had won. Their department had attended the awards ceremony, then headed to the bar for drinks. Of course, Loke himself was there._

 _With the stars of all the various departments of the agency present, Lucy felt this was the perfect atmosphere to introduce herself to top people she never got to interact with during working hours. However, she was nervous to speak to the likes of Erza, Gildarts, Laxus, and especially Loke. She had taken one drink as a sort of liquid courage to go up to Erza. She would share a drink with one, then move on to another, share a drink with them, and on, until…_

 _He was in front of her, and she was not ready at all. Those green eyes sparkled behind glasses, and his orange hair looked like a sunset under the dusky lights of the bar._

 _"Miss Heartfilia," he said, and his voice rolled musically._

 _He knew her name! How? He was worlds above her._

 _"Mr. Leo," she greeted anxiously._

 _"That bottle of wine next to you—"_

 _She jolted and realized she was standing near a table with some wine._

 _"—I happen to like that type. Mind if I have some?"_

 _She moved aside as if he might run her over. "Oh, it's just one of the bottles they brought out for us. It's all yours."_

 _He smiled brightly as he poured the wine into his glass. Lucy thought he looked so elegant as he lifted the glass to his lips and sipped. Here he was, standing next to her, the sexiest man in her department, and possibly all of Fairy Tail! Her heart began to race, and she downed what was left in her glass, hoping to calm herself. All it did was heat up her cheeks._

 _Loke looked at her a little longer, actually taking in her face. Lucy could not budge under his gaze. Then, without a word, he tipped the bottle over and poured some of the wine into her glass. Lucy truly was amazed. Her idol, her inspiration, her boss, was pouring wine for her. She tried to force herself to calm down. She had been in Fairy Tail for years. This should not be strange at all. Yet it was. How many people in the company had had their glasses refilled by Loke Leo the Lion?_

 _She took a sip, trying her hardest to act cool and composed in front of him. She saw a hint of a smile on Loke's lips. It made her happy to see his smile, and nervous, and she kept drinking the wine, and…_

 _It went blank again, lost in Pinot Noir._

…

"Helloooooo? Are you listening?"

Lucy blinked in surprise. Cana's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered.

Levy giggled. "You really look spaced out. How late did you stay there last night?"

"How late?" Lucy asked. "Did you go home before me?"

Cana laughed loudly. "Oh my God, you drank yourself into amnesia."

Levy looked worried. "Do you not even remember everyone leaving? They wanted to go to karaoke, but you said you wanted to stay a little longer. You were in the middle of drinking with a bunch of men."

"A … a bunch of men?" Lucy cried out. "Who? Why don't I remember that?"

Cana put it bluntly, "Because you were drunk out of your tits."

Well, that was true, but she didn't have to say it so crudely.

"Who … um … who was there?" Lucy asked timidly.

Cana sighed. "You seriously were smashed, huh? Mr. Leo was there, of course. Natsu was with you, which is why I figured it'd be okay. Gray Fullbuster was there, and Freed Justine from Account Planning, but everyone knows he's gay. Then there was that doctor. Um, Caprico?"

"Dr. Capricorn," Lucy realized.

"Right, him. There was also that super-cute bartender. Damn, he was hot! It was only you and those guys left at the bar, so I was really hoping maybe something _good_ would happen between you and one of them. Or hell, you and _all_ of them."

"Cana!" Lucy almost screamed. "As if I would do that. Nothing happened."

Yet something had. She had woken up in that hotel room, naked, hickeys that even now she hid with makeup. _Something_ most definitely did happen, and odds were it was one of the men at the bar who must have been the one in the hotel room. Lucy had not looked around closely enough to figure out who it might be. She could have looked at his shoes, his watch, checked his phone, or even stayed around long enough to see his face. Instead, she ran in shame and terror. Now she was stuck knowing she slept with someone, and she had no idea who. She dreaded to know how awkward this might make things in the office.

She almost never saw Loke himself and was too intimidated to talk to him, but he was known to be a flirt. Capricorn was the on-site doctor and a man Lucy had gotten to know and trust, since he seemed to care a lot about her … but, just how much was too much? Natsu was safe, they had been best friends since childhood and he never once flirted with her, but every boyfriend she ever had always ended up asking her just _how close_ she and Natsu were. As Cana said, Freed was gay, but there were rumors that he swung both ways. Gray was almost as sexy as Loke, to the point where judging between the two would be a hard choice, and he worked in her department, so he was one of the few Lucy had actually talked to more than on a rare occasion. Any one of these men were seemingly impossible choices for her. She would never even dream of sleeping with _any_ of them.

She arrived at her desk, looked at her computer, and shook her head like a dog after a bath. She needed to focus on the storyboard. Instead of the time she was originally given, to finish by this weekend, the schedule changed to _today_. If she did not focus, she would never finish in eight hours.

Still, all she could think about was the previous night. Why would a guy decide to pick her up? Unless she was the one making moves on him. Lucy shook her head. No way! She could never imagine herself being that flirty and bold.

Her manager, Jason, slapped her back, jolting Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Cool! Looks like it's coming along."

Lucy looked down. She had been typing pretty much on autopilot, but somehow she had about 90% of the storyboard finished. Even when her life was in turmoil, work was something she could definitely do right. Which was sort of pathetic.

Jason looked over the outline. "Is there anything you're unsure about?"

"Yeah, actually. The last line. I have these three choices," she said, pointing to the end of the outline. "I can't decide between them. The first and second ones are clearer. It's a brief commercial, after all, just fifteen seconds. But the third choice is my favorite. It's longer, but it's more emotional."

"Hmm … the third one's not bad," he said, inspecting each one closely. "However, it's somewhat wordy."

"I know," Lucy sighed. She had limited time, so she had to keep things clear and succinct.

Jason looked up as someone approached. "Hey, Mr. Fullbuster."

A man with messy black hair paused. "Yes?"

Lucy felt shocked. Gray Fullbuster was a rather famous copywriter, considered to be one of the best in the entire industry. He was slightly older than her with a brilliant mind, although sometimes reticent and aloof. Because of that personality, although Lucy had talked to him before, she tended to get the cold shoulder. Still, she somehow felt that she had talked to him recently. His voice and the smell of his cologne were all familiar.

Last night! Cana said Gray was one of the men who stayed late at the bar.

"I know you're busy," Jason said, "but could you take a look at this storyboard?"

Gray looked down at Lucy, and she gulped. He was looking really hard at her, and she felt his eyes glancing down. Was he looking at her breasts? Pervert!

Wait … was he the one she slept with?

He learned over to read the computer screen, and Lucy could smell his cologne even stronger now. His hands took her mouse to scroll up and down so he could read the whole thing. His hands looked so strong and yet held the mouse elegantly. A memory flashed in her mind of gentle hands on her breasts with fingers plucking at her nipples, getting her to arch back and moan.

' _No, don't think of that when he's right there next to you!_ '

Lucy felt he was lingering there far too long. If he did not give her space, she might start to blush.

"So, what's the trouble?" he finally asked.

Lucy felt like she could not even speak, not with that lingering memory of sensuality in her head. Luckily, Jason spoke for her.

"She's stuck on the last line. Which of these three do you like?"

With barely a hesitation, Gray decided, "The third one. It presents the creator's vision most clearly. This _is_ what you were trying to say, isn't it?" he asked Lucy directly, meeting her eyes again.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. How did he know? And she was glad he agreed with her. It made her feel like she somehow knew the right choice all along.

"Then stop debating with yourself. Stay true to your initial inspiration. A commercial with no message is meaningless and worthless. That line sums up the message in a way that leaves a lasting impression. The impression we give someone is most important, right?"

The impression … wait, was he referencing last night? Was the man she slept with actually Gray?

"Cool! The storyboarding is done," Jason declared. "Finish it up and give the final to me before lunch."

"Right, yes!" Lucy said enthusiastically. She was relieved and let out a little sigh. With this, she could get the storyboard done in no time. Not only that, the star of the creative department complimented her. "Thank you so much," she said to Gray.

"Not a problem," he replied, tipping his head to her.

Jason went back to his desk, and Gray began to walk away. However, he stopped abruptly and looked back.

"So hey, do you have an aversion to picking up your phone? Some sort of social anxiety thing?"

She blinked in confusion. "Sorry?"

"It's annoying when someone has to call you multiple times but you don't answer."

"Wha- …?"

It dawned on her a few seconds later. That morning, her phone kept ringing until she put it on silent. Did that mean Gray was the one calling her? How would a man like him have her phone number? Was he the man at the hotel? For a moment, she looked at his face, his pale skin and soft, thin lips, and she wondered what kind of face he made when he leaned in for a kiss.

She dropped her eyes and fisted up her hands on her skirt.

' _Oh God, I should not be thinking about that! He's a coworker, and it's awful to think that way about someone at work. This is like internalized sexual harassment. Wait, is that a thing?_ '

"L-Listen, last night…"

However, when she looked up, Gray was walking away, heading out of the office.

Maybe he had merely called her about the article. However, she was the concept writer, and Gray was the copywriter. He was not working on this project at all. He had no reason to call her.

Unless … last night…

' _I can't believe I might have slept with a coworker. This is bad. I screwed up big time. There are probably company rules about this sort of thing—_ '

"I will not tolerate anyone who breaks the rules!"

Lucy leaped at the shout. Cautiously, she peeked over her cubicle wall, along with many other heads popping up to see the commotion. Against the far wall, away from her section of writers, was the agency's Account Planning Executive, Freed Justine. He was a tall, lean man, dressed impeccably, with long hair that flowed down his back. He had an old-fashion charm to his appearance, like someone out of a Jane Austen novel, but he also had a notoriously harsh personality.

"We have specific rules about data gathering. If you make a single mistake, you have to redo the whole thing. Do you even know the rules of this company?"

The researcher had his head bowed, crushed by the harsh criticism. "I'm sorry, Mr. Justine. I'll redo it."

"You have thirty minutes."

"What?" the poor man shouted. "It took me two days—"

"And you screwed it up. I do not tolerate people who break the rules to cut corners. Thirty minutes!"

Lucy sat back down at her desk and shivered at the berating. It was not for nothing that he was known as Freed 'the Dark.'

A scene flashed through her mind again.

…

 _The lights of the bar were dim and colorful. She had a drink in her hand, laughing at a joke. There was a face—Natsu?—and Freed's, and … others. Shadowy, hazy others. They were all laughing. Then Freed leaned in so close to her ear, she felt his lips brush against her skin._

 _"Shall I get you another drink?" he asked._

 _She faced him with a bright smile and a word of thanks. He stood, green hair swished past her, brushing her cheek, and with it the smell of minty shampoo._

 _The shampoo at the hotel had also smelled minty._

…

No way! It couldn't be. Freed was known to date exclusively men. But there was that rumor about him and Mira, the front desk receptionist. Could he be…?

She shook her head. She needed to stop this. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

When Freed had said _I will not tolerate anyone who breaks the rules_ , for a moment Lucy thought he was talking about her. Her chest still hurt from how hard it had pounded, and still it was slow to calm down. This was bad for her health. She got up, went to the elevators, and rode down to the floor with the employee break room to get some tea.

"This can't be good for my heart."

"Someone's having heart trouble?"

Lucy looked around and saw a kind face, a man with a goatee like a billy goat. It was Capricorn, the company's in-house doctor. Cana said he was also there that night, but Lucy was on good terms with the doctor. She never would have flirted with him.

Or had he seduced her? A distinguished-looking older gentleman might want a night with a young, buxomly woman.

"Are you not feeling well after last night, Lucy?" he asked with a gentle, concerned face.

After last night?

…

 _A vague shadow of a memory flashed into her mind. She was on top of a man, riding him hard, moaning as her back arched and her breasts jiggled from her enthusiasm, thrusting herself down onto a thick cock. A deep voice, distorted in her mind, wafted up to her._

 _"You keep that up, you'll be sore and walking funny tomorrow."_

…

"You're looking pale," he said, looking almost guilty. His hand began to reach out, but Lucy jolted back.

"I … I'm fine, really."

"You overdid it in bed last night."

"What?" she screamed, stumbling backwards until she crashed into the wall, and even then she wished that she could retreat further. Last night … in bed … overdid it … Oh God, was it Capricorn?

"You're wondering how I know about that."

Her mouth dropped, but she had no clue what to say. Capricorn … them together? No way!

"Looks like I guessed correctly."

"Huh?" she said, the word dropping out numbly. Guessed? Then was it not him?

He glanced at her up and down, and his eyes seemed to linger on her breasts. He cracked out a slight chuckle and shook his head while looking at her breasts. What the hell was that sort of look?

"This isn't really the place for that sort of discussion," he decided. "We'll talk more another time." He left with a cryptic smile, rushing out of the break room.

Lucy blinked a few times. "What … was that about?"

She got her tea—although she felt like she needed a stiff drink—and returned to the elevators. One opened, but she saw a person was already inside. She gulped as she saw Freed Justine, standing in the elevator, reading over a report on a tablet. He glanced up as she walked in and gave her a brief nod, then looked back to his report.

Freed the Dark, the Evil Exec! And she had the bad luck to be in an elevator with him when he was in a foul mood.

She pressed the number for her floor, the doors closed, and she stood on the opposite side as him, keeping her eyes on the floor indicator, wishing elevators moved faster. She began to grow uncomfortable as the floors dinged, feeling like he was staring at her. Then Lucy realized he was walking up closer, approaching her. She had nowhere to run to in this tiny elevator. He was right in front of her, staring, but not at her face.

' _Oh God, he's staring at my breasts as well!_ '

Freed was gay, right? A gay man would not stare at a woman's breasts like that. But there were rumors about him, and he had been drinking with her at the bar last night.

His hand reached out toward her chest. Lucy slammed her eyes shut. No way! This couldn't be happening. Here, at work, in the elevator, with the Account Planning Executive…

His finger tapped her blouse. "Your buttons are off, right here."

Lucy looked down at her shirt to where he was pointing. Sure enough, she had been in such a rush to get to work that morning, she had buttoned her blouse up wrong. How embarrassing! Freed took her cup of tea from her and turned aside, giving her privacy. Lucy quickly redid her buttons.

"Th-thank you," she muttered.

Was this why everyone seemed to be staring at her breasts all morning? Was it just that they had noticed she buttoned her blouse wrong, but were too polite to mention it? And here she had been cringing at the idea that half of Fairy Tail was becoming a bunch of perverts!

The elevator dinged and opened to the accounting floor. Freed handed back her tea and left without any reply. The doors closed, the lift continued up, and Lucy collapsed back against the wall.

Men normally did not approach a woman so closely just to point out a dressing error. He could have stayed in the corner and mentioned it, yet he had walked that close to her with no hesitation. It also meant he was looking at her closely enough to realize the wardrobe malfunction.

This elegant yet austere man had poked her blouse and stood so close, but he had not looked upset or offended that her clothing was in disarray. He had sounded gentle, friendly, as if they actually knew one another. She had never spoken to Freed before. She only knew him from reputation, yet he had approached her so closely.

He had been there that night. She vaguely remembered him getting her another cocktail. With enough drinks, would the stiff, homosexual-maybe-bisexual Evil Exec find interest in a woman? Her mind imagined how his long hair would look splayed across pillows, or draping down around them, curtaining her in, as he hovered above, whispering her name in reverence.

Had that happened, though? The man from last night, did he have long hair? Or did he have a goatee like Capricorn? Messy hair like Gray? Was he a ginger like Loke? Or could it even have been Natsu, although he was her best friend? No memory was clear enough to know. The body under her was a dark shadow, only the grasping of hands and that thick cock plunging into her were what she could recall, and there was no way she could ask the men at work to show her their penis or grab her breasts so she could figure out which one it was.

She also could not ask directly. After all, if it was not that man, they would know what she did last night, and a rumor that she had drunkenly slept with someone from work would ruin her reputation, maybe even get her fired.

"Get a grip, Lucy!" she scolded herself. The elevator finally arrived at her floor, and she stepped out. She had a storyboard to finalize before lunch.

 **End of Chapter 1**

* * *

 _A/N: When I played Tachibana's story in "Irresistible Mistakes," it struck me how much he was like Loke. People call him "a lion amongst men" and "the star of the company," he's seen as being "worlds away, from another dimension," he's a flirt, a tease, yet when it comes to a fight he leaps in. Everything about Tachibana screamed **LOKE!** Then there's your character, a writer, naive but a hard worker, brilliantly creative, solving tough situations for her team. In other words, Lucy. Having a hotheaded best friend named Natsume made that character an easy match, the "Evil Exec" hellbent on following rules is totally Freed, the coldly aloof copywriter even sorta looks like Gray, and many of the characters fell into place naturally._

 _So this is like a Fairy Tail / Irresistible Mistakes crossover._

 _It mostly follows the "Heartfelt Ending," but sometimes certain replies fit the Fairy Tail characters. I added things to enhance the storytelling, including more dialogue, fewer flashbacks, additional characters (the coworker friend became both Levy and Cana since Levy did not fit all of the in-game characterization) and I removed parts that were either redundant, didn't fit their Fairy Tail counterpart, or were shocking displays of sexual harassment that would get you fired in my country. (And that was from her teammates, NOT the teases of the male lead. Makes me disappointed in what Japan deems as being "normal" workplace jesting.) I also added a lot more detail to the sexy bits … because it's me!_

 _So it follows the game plot closely, sometimes verbatim, but with a Rhovy twist. I waited until I was completely finished with the story, so I'll be updating weekly. Enjoy!  
_

 _The bookcover uses fanart I drew years ago: fav. me/d4zn7vc_


	2. One-Night Stands and Office Romances

Chapter 2

 **One-Night Stands and Office Romances**

"Lucy, over here!" Levy waved to her in the company cafeteria.

"What took ya so long?" a pink-haired man named Natsu asked.

Lucy rushed over to where Levy, Cana, and Natsu were sitting. "Sorry, I'm swamped. My deadline was moved from this weekend to today."

"That sucks," Cana groaned.

Natsu teased her, "Come on, that's not everything going on with you."

"Really, it's just the storyboard. Jason wanted it before lunch."

She and Natsu had been friends since childhood. He had always loved to tease her, and he often joked that since they somehow both ended up working at Fairy Tail, they were now _stuck together forever_. He was such a fiery sales associate, some people called him 'the dragon of the company.'

They began to eat, and Lucy was glad to have real food in her stomach. Her breakfast had been a plain bagel on the go as she rushed from the hotel to her apartment and then to work. She still felt a little queasy from drinking so much the night before, and she had been on edge all morning, so lunch was a welcome relief to the sourness in her nervous stomach.

"So, guess what!" Cana said, drinking a beer. Although going out for drinks was popular with higher level workers, Cana was the only person Lucy knew who ate at the cafeteria but brought beer from home so she could drink on her lunch break. "My man says he's reserved a hotel suite for us this weekend."

"Your man?" Lucy said in shock. "You can't mean—"

"Unbelievable," Levy sighed. "Is that office affair still going on?"

Their voices all dropped lower. This was a secret, and no one was supposed to know that Cana was sleeping with someone fairly high up in the company. Not only that, but her lover was a married man.

"Summoning you to a hotel?" Natsu said, looking annoyed. "Man, talk about lack of subtlety. How long are these booty calls going to continue?"

Cana set her beer down and glared over at him. "Ya got a problem with it?"

He just shook his head and poked at his food. "If you enter into a purely physical relationship with a person, they'll never choose you for the main event."

Levy blushed. "M-Main event?"

"Marriage? Hah!" Cana waved the idea aside. "Fine by me. So long as I'm having a good time, that's all I care about."

"Sheesh, I bet you'd even be okay with a one-night stand with a stranger."

"Those are fun," Cana said casually. "How about you, Levy?"

"Oh, no!" She waved her hands in front of her. "No way, not for me."

"You're still a virgin, aren't you?"

"Hey!" Levy shouted, starting to turn red. "I … I have a boyfriend."

"But he ain't gettin' any yet. What about you, Lucy?"

"Huh?" Her heart gave a leap. She had been thinking about a new memory from the night before. "Well, I … I'm not a virgin."

Natsu grinned mischievously. "Should I tell them about you and that Dan Straight guy in high school?"

"Oh my God! Seriously, I didn't sleep with him," she exclaimed a little too loudly. Lucy shrank down as a few people looked over. "You jerk," she grumbled.

"I know you're not _that_ pure," Cana said. "What I mean is, are you okay with the idea of one-night stands with strangers, or even with someone you know and just wanna bang once to try it out?"

A one-night stand … with a stranger … sleeping with someone you don't even know, never finding out who they might be…

Natsu was one of those men last night. He had been there, but she felt there was no way she could confess this to him, even though … no, _especially because_ they had been childhood friends, and because he seemed so disgusted by the idea.

"I … I'm okay with the idea of one-night stands, but it's not for me. I could never do it myself."

"You see," Natsu said, draping an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Lucy's a classy girl. She's not into wild nights and drunken flings."

His words pierced into her with guilt.

Cana dismissed the fact that she was out-voted. "Well, I think there's something thrilling about an office romance. It's like one of those cellphone games, only you get hot sex."

"Cana!" Levy squeaked. "Not so loud."

Thrilling? Lucy had been on edge all morning. If the man from last night really was a coworker, how would that be from now on, feeling her heart race every time he walked by in the hallway, terrified that her coworkers would find out?

This was definitely not for her, and she needed to figure out what happened or she would never be able to focus on work.

* * *

Despite her resolve to sort out the details of the previous night, she did not come across any of the men who were there at the bar. Although she normally stayed late to finish up work and get a head-start for the next day, that evening she fled work, bolting for the doors as soon as the clock struck five.

She had an idea now. Lucy had done some investigative reporting for _Sorcerer Weekly_ before working for Fairy Tail. She hoped she could put her skills to use, so she made her way back to the bar where it all started. Maybe she could ask around, find a clue, and solve this mystery.

She arrived again at Blue Pegasus, where they had their party the previous night. A handsome man stood behind the bar, dashing and outgoing, flirtatious with the ladies, serious with the men who needed an ear to listen to their woes. Lucy remembered him from the party, chatting up the patrons and convincing everyone to drink more and be merry. His name tag read Hibiki, and he smiled as Lucy approached.

"Welcome!" he greeted with a musical voice.

"H-Hi."

She looked around, hoping something would trigger a memory. It was no good, though. Finally, she went up to Hibiki, who was mixing together a drink in a shaker.

"I … um … I was here last night," Lucy began. She had been bold and thorough as an investigator before. Now that she was investigating about herself, it felt awkward.

"Ah, you were with that rowdy group from Fairy Tail."

"That's right. And I, well…" She decided to just blurt it out. "Can you remember if I went home with someone?"

His eyes widened, stunned by the question. Then they drooped in sadness. "Did you drink so much, something bad happened?"

Lucy felt her cheeks flush. "I don't know if it was good or bad, but something happened, and I can't remember."

"I'm so sorry," he said in true regret. "I don't know who took you home. I remember hearing some of them talking about karaoke, and there was a group who stayed later to drink more. A woman was with them."

"Yeah, apparently that was me," Lucy grumbled. If Cana was right, Lucy had been in the middle of a group of men, chatting and drinking after the others left.

"I see. Well, near the end, I overheard them discussing about getting a taxi for you, but I was busy cleaning up. It was already closing time when the last ones left, and to be honest, I wasn't really listening in."

"I see," she muttered. "Well, it was worth a try."

"They seemed friendly and concerned for you, if that's of any consolation."

She had to admit, it was a little. It also confirmed that whomever she had slept with was a coworker, and it was one of the men Cana said had stayed late. But which one? The Creative Director and her boss, Loke Leo? The famous copywriter, Gray Fullbuster? The accounting executive, Freed Justine? Her best friend, the sales associate Natsu Dragneel? Or the company physician, Dr. Capricorn?

Lucy wanted to know who that man was, but she also did not want to know. She could continue on like it never happened if she did not have a face to go along with the random memories of sensual pleasure.

"I really am sorry," said Hibiki. "I should have realized you were drunk and called you a cab, but it was a busy night, and they seemed to know you."

"Y-yeah, I guess so," she muttered, not liking that she slept with someone who knew her from work. What a mess!

His eyes looked compassionate. "If I can do anything—"

"Oh, you don't need to worry. I can handle this on my own. I don't want to be a bother. Ah, I haven't ordered a drink."

"Here." He placed the cocktail he had been making onto the counter. Lucy looked down, shocked to see it was her favorite drink. "It's from the man over there."

Lucy glanced behind her. Sitting at a table with a brandy glass wrapped up in his elegant fingers was none other than Loke. Lucy had been so focused on looking at the decorations around the bar, hoping something would help her to remember, that she had not paid attention to the patrons sitting around.

"M-Mister Leo … sir!"

Loke gave her a smile, rose to his feet, and slowly walked over, his eyes never leaving hers as he weaved between tables and people. She sat transfixed, like a tiny gazelle watching the approach of a lion about to devour her, knowing there was no escape. Loke smiled softly at her, gazing at her up and down just briefly before holding her gaze with those intense green eyes. His glasses caught just a gleam from the bar's colored lights.

"Waiting for someone?" he asked with a playfully teasing tone to his voice.

"Uh, no," she breathed, unable to believe that _the_ Mister Leo was here with her.

"In that case, mind if I join you?"

"O-oh! Of course not," she said frantically. He was going to join her! Him! Mister Leo! With her!

He sat down in the seat next to her at the counter. Lucy's heart raced as she stared down at her drink, unsure what she could possibly say to him. The most popular man in Fairy Tail was right in front of her, talking to her, sharing a drink with her in a bar. Women in the company only sighed and dreamed of such an honor.

Yet, Lucy realized, Loke was also on her list of men who were there that night. If it was him, she wondered if he was disappointed in her. She had been so drunk, maybe she did some _inappropriate_ things. Cana's snide tease that maybe something good happened with _all five_ men returned to her. Perhaps he would think that she was the sort of woman who got drunk and slept with random men, and that was not like her at all. She could not meet his eyes with the deep sense of shame.

Her mind was in chaos, but Loke looked calm as he sipped his drink.

"You should watch out."

Lucy jolted up. "What?"

"A lovely woman like you, sitting at a bar, all alone at this hour. It puts certain ideas into a man's head." His eyes flicked along her body, making her gasp in astonishment and feel like covering herself up. However, his playboy grin drifted away. "That is, if I were not your boss."

Her boss! That was why it was shocking that he was even here, sitting next to her, flirting with her, all alone like this, in a public place where someone might see them and spread a rumor around Fairy Tail.

Loke looked over to the bartender and tapped his glass. "Another."

Hibiki winked and reached to his liquor display. "One more brandy, coming up."

"You as well, dear?" he asked Lucy.

She looked down. Her nervousness had made her drink her cocktail too fast again. This must be a weakness for her. Nerves and alcohol were a terrible mix.

As Loke began on his second drink, Lucy fisted up her hands, summoning her determination. Loke was her boss, but he was also there that night. No … _because_ he was her boss, he was probably responsible for making sure everyone could get rides home after all that heavy drinking. Maybe he knew who escorted her, and thus who slept with her.

"Um … about yesterday." The investigator in her finally emerged. Lucy kept her eyes on his face, determined not to miss even the slightest change in his expression. "Did I … do something?"

How pathetic! She hated herself instantly for sounding so wishy-washy.

"Do something?" he asked, sounding confused.

"I was really … _really_ drunk, and…" Her head dropped from the shame weighing her down. "I made a mistake."

His brow tensed, and his eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "A mistake?"

"I can't go into details," she was beginning to say, but Loke cut in.

"Can I ask you a question?" He set his brandy glass onto the counter and turned his body toward her, looking at her intensely. "Are you certain it was a mistake?"

She looked up in shock. "What do you mean?"

"Was it such a bad thing?"

Bad?

Another memory floated into her mind, this one different from all the sensual fuzziness from earlier _._

…

 _She was in bed, basking in the afterglow, sweaty and trying to catch her breath. It was a warm, pleasant feeling of exhaustion, a feeling of satisfaction unlike anything she had even known before. No man had ever made her tingle like this._

 _She stretched her naked limbs, humming in utter bliss._ _God, how many times had she orgasmed? She lost count. No, she didn't even bother to count! She just enjoyed it, every single time, and when she felt like she could not possibly do it again, his hands, mouth, and cock proved her wrong. He was incredible, in every way._

 _The body next to her rolled over, dark in the hotel's shadows. Fingers that a moment ago had been plowing her into wildness now stroked her hair with tenderness. His hand moved so slowly, as if treasuring her._

 _She had not simply been fucked; she had been loved. It was not just physical satisfaction; she had never felt so happy to be in bed with a man. None of her boyfriends had warmed her heart as intensely as this, nor treated her so delicately while also pushing her to her sensual limits._

 _Strong arms wrapped around her in a close embrace. She buried her face into his broad chest, listened to his heart, and she felt so loved, so comforted, so cherished. Her eyes closed, and her body sank, knowing she was safe in his arms._

 _Then it all went black again._

…

No man had satisfied her so utterly, on both a sensual and emotional level. No man gave her so much comfort that she could literally fall asleep in his arms. No man had ever made her body buzz all the way to her toes like that. How many times had they made love before both were fully sated?

Loke chuckled roguishly and tapped a nail on his brandy glass. "Apparently, it wasn't bad at all."

Was last night such a bad thing? Definitely not! She should not have been drunk, but apparently she had been happy.

"That look on your face really suits you, but you shouldn't show it to just any man."

Lucy gasped and reached up, realizing her cheeks were ablaze with the memories, as hazy as they were.

Loke leaned forward slightly, and she thought he was looking at her lips before those eyes lifted up to meet her in a predatory gaze. "I've wanted to see you again ever since last night."

Oh … God…

 _Oh God!_ Did that mean…

Then, the worst timing ever, his phone buzzed with a text message. Loke pulled it out and saw the message. Instantly, his face with hard.

"Damn. It's work, and it's urgent. Excuse me, but I have to head back to the office right away. I'll see you later." His hand reached over and patted on top of Lucy's. "Don't let any strange men pick you up, okay?"

"Oh … okay," she said in a daze, mesmerized by his intense stare.

He set down a few bills and left. Lucy stared ahead. ' _I've wanted to see you again ever since last night_.' Why else would he say that?

She also thought about what he said. She had been sickly anxious about the fact that she slept with someone at random, she had not stopped to realize it was actually a really amazing night. The emotional warmth, the physical satisfaction, the happiness, and tender touches of that elegant hand … whomever it was, whether if it was Loke or Natsu or Gray or Freed or even Capricorn, she had been happy in that moment.

Maybe … it wasn't such a bad mistake.

Even now, she felt a deep, sinking bliss when she thought about the arms that had held her. It was just tragic that she was feeling it for someone unknown, a man she still could not visualize in her mind.

Then it was her phone chiming with a text. She moaned, wondering if she was about to get called back to work as well. Instead, to her shock, it was the same unknown number that had called her that morning, along with a text message.

" _I want to see you again tonight._ "

"Tonight?" She skipped down to the end of the message, where she realized that, this time, the person had attached their name to the message. "Oh God," she whispered.

Lucy actually dropped her phone, and it clattered on the bar's counter. There was no doubt about it now. This was the phone number of the man she had slept with, and the name signed at the bottom of the text…

"I slept with … with…"


	3. Text Message

Chapter 3

 **Text Message**

Lucy walked into her apartment and collapsed face-down into bed.

"This can't be happening."

She pulled out her phone and looked at the text again, over and over, as if maybe the letters would rearrange themselves into some secret code.

" _I want to see you again tonight. It seems that I need to explain a few things to you, and to apologize for what happened at that hotel. Regretfully,_ _something came up at work. Tomorrow, come to my office. Loke._ "

There was no doubt about it. The man she slept with was none other than her inspiration, her idol, her boss, Creative Director Loke Leo, the one everyone looked up to, who kept hundreds of staff together like a family.

She tried to remember that morning and the silhouette against the frosted glass door of the shower. The man in that shower was her boss. The man who had been in bed with her was the star of the company. The man who had made love so vigorously that she lost sensation in her toes and fell asleep in his arms as he played with her hair was none other than the man they nicknamed _the Lion_ for flirting around.

"And now me. Am I just another one of _the Lion's_ prey?"

In a way, it make her feel relieved. People knew Loke flirted, although it seemed like, up until now, it was all just charming smiles and winks. Did he actually take women to bed with him a lot? If so, maybe she was merely a victim to his charms. Maybe people would forgive her for sleeping with a boss like that.

But if he seduced her, and she was drunk, what did that say about the man she admired so deeply?

"Puun."

Her dog Plue had the weirdest bark. He barely even looked like a dog. Lucy absently petted his head as she continued to look at the text message.

"I feel like my brain is going to explode, Plue."

"Pu-puun?"

"What do you do when you sleep with someone after having one too many drinks? Not only that, but that guy is a director where you work … and the man you've admired and dreamed about for years."

"Puun puun."

Plue's bark (puun?) almost seemed as if he was trying to offer her comfort. Lucy absently petted his white head while still staring at the text. Loke! He was the one who inspired Lucy to take her talent and go work for Fairy Tail. It was all thanks to him.

It had been a single commercial about an upcoming astronomical event at the observatory. Lucy already had an interest in constellations and enjoyed trips as a child with her mother to the observatory, but there was a line in the ad that resonated with her, reminding her of that very first glee and wonder when she held her mother's hand and peered into the massive telescope to see deep into the heavens.

" _It isn't just views, but the power of wonder._ " And it ended with a child looking up from a telescope to some unseen adult, with large eyes and a dropped-open smile of awe.

It made her remember her first glance into a telescope, seeing Saturn for the first time, and how her heart raced to think that entire other planets more amazing than this one existed somewhere out there. Her mother had just smiled down at her, but now she wondered what went through her mother's mind. Maybe she was recalling her own first view into the heavens; maybe she was proud to be passing down this love of science to her daughter.

The last line of that commercial dredged up that memory and left Lucy crying for her mother who had died young, yet left her legacy of wonder and awe in her daughter. At that moment, drifting through college with no aim, Lucy suddenly knew what she wanted to do with her life. She shifted her focus from a pipe dream of writing a bestselling novel—she could still work on that in the meantime—to a practical job like writing for an ad agency. She did her research, discovered who had created that commercial, and learned about the name Loke Leo of Fairy Tail. Through classes, she discovered that Fairy Tail was one of the top agencies in the kingdom, but in just the years that she had been working there, it rose to the number two spot.

That was all thanks to Loke and his leadership. She had watched his career since that one commercial. She searched online to watch other ads he made. Then he was promoted to Creative Director. It was shortly after that promotion that Lucy was hired. He was her inspiration for aiming at working for an ad agency, her idol as she slogged through storyboards of products no one else wanted to cover, hoping that one day she might create something worthy enough for him to praise her.

"He's my hero … and he saw me drunk … and I slept with him … and I can't even _remember_ all of it."

She threw a pillow over her head, wishing she could bury herself away. How was she supposed to act at work now whenever she saw him? Even if it had been him putting the moves on her when she was too drunk to resist, he would think she was _that sort of woman_.

Plue gave out a little snore at the foot of her bed.

"Plue, you can't fall asleep on me. I'm in a crisis!"

The little dog raised his white head. "Puun?" It seemed like maybe he was trying to smile and tell her it would be okay.

Lucy sighed, mad that she had snapped at him. "Sorry. Stressful day. I'll give you some treats."

As Plue munched on a dog biscuit and Lucy fixed herself dinner, she tried desperately to pull up more memories of the previous night. There were only a few moments of lucidity, but nothing clear. Her eyes were either closed or the lights were too dark to see the man with her, but the more she remembered, the more she believed it actually must have been Loke.

How had she felt about it? How did it start? What was Loke like in bed? ( _Oh God, did I really just ask myself about that?_ ) Did they do anything … kinky? Had she at any point tried to stop him, or had she been the one putting the moves on him? Maybe she had said some horribly desperate thing while drunk, about being lonely and the fact that she had not been laid in … well, since college! Maybe he agreed to sleep with her out of pity. She doubted he was some sort of sexual predator who trolled bars for drunk women, not when a man like him could have any woman he wanted. He had never so much as looked at her before the previous night, so why would he have slept with her?

As she ate her dinner, she pulled out her phone and did a search for "drunk slept with boss."

She read off a search title. " _How to make your boss fall for your advances._ No, totally the opposite! _How to drive away a philandering boss._ That's not it. _How to not get caught by your boss's wife._ Wait, what! Are you serious? Who would write an article on how to be a home-wrecker?" She paused and set her phone down. "Come to think of it, is Mr. Leo married?"

She remembered what Natsu and Levy said to Cana at lunch.

 _"Unbelievable. Is that office affair still going on?"_

 _"How long are these booty calls going to continue?"_

Although their words were aimed toward Cana, now the disapproval of her friends stung Lucy.

 _"If you enter into a purely physical relationship with a person, they'll never choose you for the main event."_

 _"Marriage? Hah! Fine by me. So long as I'm having a good time, that's all I care about."_

It was like they said. If a relationship was purely physical, and if a person's heart belonged with someone else, there would never be anything exclusive about what the two had. For someone like Cana who did not even care that the man she slept with was married and found secret affairs to be part of the thrill, that was something she wanted. Cana had no interest in falling in love, marriage, a family, so long as she enjoyed life at the moment.

But for Lucy, she did not want _thrills_ with her relationships. She wanted romance, tenderness, and if she could find it, she would like there to be at least a little bit of love. She wanted a family one day, and she refused to start something like that with a man who belonged to another.

Was a one-night stand what Loke preferred? Was he married and just wanted a bit of a side-thrill?

"Cheater!"

Lucy jolted up. The television was running in the background, set to some program she normally liked to watch during dinner, but that night she could hardly focus on anything but what might have happened with her boss. The woman on the screen was trying to break through family holding her back while her husband left her.

"You liar! Cheat! Don't ever come back here. Don't come anywhere near our kids. I won't let them near a horrible man like you. Go die with your whore at the office."

"Yikes!" Lucy turned the channel. That hit way too close to home at the moment. The next channel was a commercial.

"Do you suspect your spouse is cheating on you? Here at Hot Eye Private Investigators, we can put your mind at rest with philandering husbands busy with office affairs and wives running off with the milkman."

"Are you serious?" Lucy groaned. For one, how old-fashion was the "bored housewife and milkman" cliché? Was this 1955?

She clicked to another channel. Two women were discussing literature at a library. This seemed safe and right up her alley. Lucy realized right away, they were discussing novels by D. H. Lawrence.

"I see myself as more of a Lady Chatterley than Ursula Brangwen."

"Oh? Preferring the husky gamekeeper to the emotionally aloof husband? Except you're not married."

"Who even needs marriage these days? I know more lonely, sexually dissatisfied married women than single women. 'A woman has to live her life, or live to repent not having lived it.' I want, not just a partner who is rich and powerful, nor one who is merely intellectual and witty, but one who satisfies the mind as well as the body."

"She's right," Lucy said absently. "It's not enough that he's rich or brilliant. But … satisfying the body?" Lucy blushed as she went through the few memories she had. "I wonder if it was satisfactory. I think it must have been. I sure did ache this morning." She pulled forward her blouse and saw the hickeys still on her breasts. "And there's all of _those_."

Even if Loke was married—she wasn't sure yet and wondered if that was public knowledge—he had still taken her to bed. He had wanted her, and she felt in her hazy memories that she had wanted him. He had not simply forced her while she was inebriated; she had a strong impression that it was mutual. Yes, definitely, she was the one riding him with such aggressive passion.

"Oh God, don't think about that!" She blushed as she realized it was _Loke_ who saw her that way, Loke who warned her to take it easy or she would ache, and that thick cock which she could vaguely remember thrusting into her had been _his_.

Did she still want him, though? If he asked her to spend another night with him, would she say yes?

That still worried her, because she honestly had no idea.

" _Tomorrow, come to my office._ "

He wanted to see her again, but was she ready to see him? Did she want an office affair like Cana?

No. If he wanted something deeper, meaningful, exclusive, then maybe, but some elicit affair to keep secret? No. Lucy felt she simply did not have the guts to do something so risqué.

She turned off the television, cleaned her dishes, laid in bed, and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what she was going to do with this issue now that she knew the truth about the man she had slept with.


	4. Opportunity of a Lifetime

Chapter 4

 **Opportunity of a Lifetime**

Lucy barely slept. As morning came, she rode the train to work like usual and checked her email on the way. Jason had sent her a strange, brief message. " _Good luck today._ " He was not known for random inspiring notes. Maybe something good was coming up. Hopefully nothing like a surprise performance review. God, she hated those!

When she arrived at Fairy Tail, she realized she needed to speak with Loke right away, before this ate at her and lowered her performance at work. She had to get the truth. She did not want to be rude and immediately accuse him of being the one at fault. Maybe he had also been drunk, and maybe she had been the one to come onto him. He seemed to remember it, though, while she had only vague flashes of what happened. She could not place blame on anyone yet.

She decided with firmness, she would have to say, 'Sorry, but can you tell me what happened last night?' It was humiliating to admit that she got so drunk she had no memory, but she could not keep on with this torturous ignorance.

She arrived at the top floor and walked to where the directors had their offices. All she had to do was look for the Creative Department. There, she saw a woman with long, blond hair singing softly to herself. Her name plaque showed she was called Lyra. She stopped her song and looked up as Lucy approached.

"Ah, Mr. Leo is expecting you. Go right on in."

Expecting her? Of course, he must have told his secretary that she was coming. She walked past the secretary, who continued to sing where she had left off. The door ahead loomed like a majestic gate. Well, not really, it was a plain wooden door stained dark, but it seemed that way to Lucy as her heart raced and her throat went dry. She gulped, fisted up a hand, mentally fortified herself, and finally knocked.

"It's Lucy Heartfilia," she called in boldly to cover over her nerves.

She heard no response, but maybe the door was thick, or maybe he was on the phone. She decided it was best to just walk right in. It was her first time entering a director's office. The walls and ceiling were all as dark as night. One whole wall was a window overlooking the city. To the side was a lighted display case of the awards Loke had personally won. There was his desk with three computer screens arranged for him, and a sitting area with a couch and leather chairs around a low table.

Rather than Loke, Lucy saw other people had gathered, already sitting around the coffee table and partaking of some tea set out on a silver tray. Lucy was stunned to see Natsu, Gray, and Freed.

Natsu bolted up from his seat and ran over to her. "Lucy, what are you doing here?"

"I'd ask you the same thing," she said, stunned right out of her nervousness.

Freed set his teacup down with refinement. "Mr. Leo asked us to come here."

Gray eyed her up and down with a pinch to his brow. "Aren't you a bit new to Fairy Tail?"

"Um … I … I've been here three years."

"Only three?" Gray looked unimpressed. "So, did Mr. Leo call you in, too?"

Lucy could not decide if saying _yes_ was a good or bad move. These three were definitely here for work, whereas she had come to discuss a private matter. Obviously, her timing was bad. Loke said to come to his office, but never when. She should have texted him back to ask rather than just barging in. He was a busy man, after all, so he probably had meetings all day. Lyra had said she was expected, but maybe she was a bit flighty and had forgotten about this meeting. Maybe Loke himself had not mentioned that the meeting with Lucy was a personal issue unrelated to anything else.

She began to back up a step, figuring she could come up with some sort of excuse and try again later. Just as she opened her mouth to mutter some lame reason to leave, the door behind her opened and Loke spoke over her.

"Come on in, Ms. Heartfilia."

She felt like her stomach leaped straight up to her throat at his voice. She could hardly say no to his command, so she walked in and took a seat. Freed immediately poured her a cup of tea, but she only pretended to sip and sat it back down, fearing she might slosh the tea out with her shaking hands.

Loke sat at the head of the candid gathering, but his eyes rested on her. "Sorry for calling you in here out of nowhere. Listen…"

Lucy inhaled and stiffened. Was he going to talk about that night, right here, in front of everyone?

"I'm putting all of you on a team to develop a very special commercial."

Lucy felt like he had slipped into another language. "What?" A commercial? Was he actually talking about work? Maybe she wasn't part of this conversation at all. Gray was right; compared to the rest of them, she had not been working in Fairy Tail for very long.

"Obviously, it's not just for any client. Our goal is to win the account for the Grand Magic Games."

Lucy felt floored. "A commercial for the GMG?"

In a little under a year, Fiore would be hosting the Grand Magic Games, a worldwide sporting event with roots going deep into the mythical past of their world. The kingdom had been abuzz about this ever since Fiore was picked as the next host nation, and they had been preparing for years. They already had a massive stadium to host the games built in the capital city of Crocus.

Loke looked out at all of them, although his eyes stopped again at Lucy. However, the expression was one she was used to seeing, that of Loke Leo, Creative Director of Fairy Tail Advertising Agency. He truly was including her into this exclusive, handpicked team.

"I've already spoken with each of your direct superiors about your abilities and requested to have you on the team. Of course, they've already given the okay."

She recalled the email from earlier. Jason merely said, "Good luck today." This must have been why.

' _I'm going to work on a commercial for the GMG. Me!_ '

Loke continued, "The Fiore GMG Committee is hosting a competition for this rare TV spot, and our rival, Sabertooth, is already moving on this."

Natsu sneered. "Sabertooth is?" Lucy knew he had a personal rivalry with certain members of Fiore's number one ad agency.

"Yes," Loke said, all business. "Everyone knows that Sabertooth handles the promotion for Crocus' big events, but the GMG Committee has sent word to all the agencies that they want to run a commercial before the Games."

Freed spoke the rest as if he was in on this. "As Mr. Leo said, they're holding a competition to win the privilege, and we're one of the participants."

Lucy was stunned by this news, but by his expression she guessed that Freed from Account Planning already knew the story. That made sense, given his job. He would first have to lay the groundwork to see if the creative teams even had a chance and could work within whatever budget the GMG Committee was offering. If Account Planning decided the budget was too low, they would not even bother gathering a team of creators.

"I'll be completely upfront," Loke said. "This is going to take months of work. You may be required to work overtime, even come in on weekends as we really get rolling with this. If any of you specifically do _not_ want to work on this account, let me know now." Loke gazed across each face, but Lucy knew that any of them would be insane to turn down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this. "Very good. I don't have all of the information yet, but I'll email you details as they come in. From now on, we'll have weekly meetings on Tuesdays at three o'clock. Make sure you set aside that time."

It seemed like the meeting was about to be dismissed, so Lucy piped up, "Um…"

What could she say, though? Why her? Obviously, because Loke saw something in her. Planning for this must have taken weeks, long before _that night_. Asking if there was something else he wanted to talk about was completely out of the question. They obviously could not talk about _that night_ until they were alone.

So she tried to sound energetic as she declared, "I'll do my best."

Loke smiled brilliantly at her. "Excellent. I expect good things from you in the near future."

Wait, that could be taken a few different ways!

"That'll be all," Loke said, and he stood first.

Natsu, Freed, and Gray finished their tea, bowed or shook hands, and left.

"I'm on it," Freed assured curtly.

Gray looked excited. "The GMG! Never thought we'd get a chance to fight for that."

Natsu also looked enthusiastic. "I'm all fired up! I've never tried my hand at anything like this."

One by one, the colleagues filed out, but Lucy could not even stand up from her seat on the plush couch. Loke smiled down at her.

"Did you have a question for me, Ms. Heartfilia?"

"N-no, sir," she muttered, staring at the untouched teacup. His collected smile, one he gave to the people who greeted him in the morning, told her all she needed to know. This was work, and it was not the place for _that_ sort of discussion.

' _So, this really was the reason he asked me to come here. Not for an office romance, but to put me on a team._ '

She stood up in a rush, gave a brief bow, and left the office. Loke sighed as he watched her go, walked over to the table, picked up her teacup, and drank the tea she had not touched. He walked over to his window, stared out over the city, and ran a hand through his orange hair as he let out a deep sigh.

Lyra walked in. "You're ten o'clock meeting is here, sir."

"Send them up," he told her. Once he was alone, he cursed softly. "Damn, she's hot."

* * *

Back at her department, Lucy had barely sat in her chair when the phone rang. It was a number she had saved in her phone for work purposes, although she never thought she would actually see it come up on her screen. It was Loke's office. Startled, she answered it right away.

"Lucy Heartfilia, Creative Department, speaking."

"Tonight. 8 o'clock. Same bar. Text me if you can't make it."

Lucy's mouth dropped, and a stunned, "O-Okay," eked out.

He hung up without another word, leaving Lucy sitting there, staring straight ahead in numbed shock.

Of course he could not talk about it at work, and of course he could not ask her out in a better manner on a company phone. That was probably why he wanted to see her again.

' _8 o'clock. Same bar. 8 o'clock. Same bar._ '

She repeated the words, as if she might wake up from a dream if she stopped. She struggled to focus on work for the rest of that day.

' _8 o'clock. Same bar. Oh God, what am I getting myself into?_ '


	5. 8 O'Clock, Same Bar

Chapter 5

 **8 O'Clock, Same Bar**

Lucy found herself arriving at the bar half an hour early. She scolded herself. What if Loke thought she was super excited to see him? What if she came across as desperate?

Blue Pegasus! She certainly felt like she was being taken on a flight into the wild blue yonder on some mythical creature.

"Aren't you going in?"

Lucy jolted around to see Loke standing behind her.

He smiled with a boyish charm. "I was afraid I was a little too early, but looks like the timing was perfect. Great minds think alike."

He casually put his hand on her waist and led her inside the bar. That night, someone played jazz on a grand piano, and out the wide windows she saw the sparkling lights of the city. The lighting was dim, dark blues and reds, a bit mysterious and sensual. The decor was a mix of faux Roman columns and minimalist lamp lighting. She had been so busy being social that other night, and so worried about searching for clues the previous evening, she had not appreciated the details of Blue Pegasus.

They found a seat at the bar, and in an elegant gesture, Loke ordered Lucy the same cocktail he had ordered her when they bumped into one another the night before, when she was trying to play investigative reporter.

Even as she thanked him and took the drink, Lucy could hardly believe this was happening to her. She never even dreamed that one day she would be sitting next to Mr. Leo, a man she worshiped, having a drink together. He was so out of her league, like some heavenly, celestial spirit, while she was just an ordinary, mundane human.

"I hope I ordered right," he said.

"You did, but … why?"

He shrugged lightly. "You seemed to be enjoying it that night. You drank quite a few."

"Ah … y-yeah," she muttered, feeling ashamed about having gotten drunk as a company event. That meant he had been watching her so closely that night, he recalled what she had been drinking. Loke ordered himself a brandy, same as last time. Even the way he lifted his glass to his lips was a refined, attractive scene.

' _God, he's so perfect. Did I really sleep with him? Seriously, why can't I remember?_ '

She watched his fingers on the glass, long with gold and silver rings, but not a wedding ring. Did this mean he was not married? She looked up, and at the same time he looked over. Both opened their mouths to speak, both stopped at realizing they had almost spoken over one another. Loke laughed gently.

"So," he began, with an expression that showed they had put this off long enough. It was time to get into it.

"I, um…" The words, held back all day due to work and propriety, finally spilled over her lips. "That night, two nights ago … how … how did it happen?"

Loke stared at her, surprised by her question.

"I … I mean…" There had to be a better way of saying it, but she was in a panic.

Slowly, his shock slipped into a smile. It was certainly not the smile he gave to people who greeted him in the morning, and not the smile he gave to his colleagues as he set them up as a team to work the Grand Magic Games account. It was a flirty smile with a twinkle behind his glasses. Lucy could not look into those eyes without blushing, and she stared at her hands gripping her skirt down on her lap.

"How?" he asked playfully. "Hmm."

He peered into her face, and she was drawn to look at him. The more she did, the more handsome she thought he was. He was more than a brilliant mind. He was immensely good-looking, and a combination of intelligence and elegance overwhelmed her. He was her creative inspiration and idol, but he was also one of the most handsome men she had ever met in her entire life. She loved him for his brains, but her heart raced for his looks.

She gazed at his face, for once finally inspecting every detail. All these years, he was an idol walking past her at a distance, and she had been happy for even a glimpse of him over the heads of a crowd of coworkers. That morning in his office, she had been focused on his words, his enthusiasm, his zeal for work, and had not looked much at the shape of his nose or the turn of his mouth. He wore earrings; that was something she never noticed before. Lucy found herself leaning in closer, wanting to see every last detail. That enchanting face suddenly smiled at her, and his head cocked to the side in amusement.

"You're an interesting woman."

Lucy forced herself back up. "Huh?"

"I can't say I've met anyone like you. So, you want to know why I slept with you?"

Coming from his mouth, the words _I slept with you_ had a startlingly raw sexuality to them that made Lucy ache deep inside.

"Honestly? I saw you at the bar, and I thought you were cute."

Lucy almost choked. Mr. Leo — _the_ Mr. Leo girls at work fawned over — thought she was cute.

"Th-thank you?" she stuttered, blown away by the compliment. "But, I mean, h-how … how exactly did you and I … I mean…"

His eyes took on a worried look. "Do you really not remember anything?" Then he chuckled, "Not even how wet you were?"

Lucy jolted so hard, she almost fell off her stool. A strangled cry choked off in her throat. How could he say something like that in public? She stared down at her lap, trying not to show how embarrassed she was, while Loke watched her, his expression searching and pensive.

He leaned in closer. "Lucy…"

She flinched at the soft sensuality of his voice.

"I'm so sorry."

The sincerity in his words forced her to look up. Wait, he was apologizing?

"I knew you had some drinks, but I honestly didn't realize you were that drunk. You were clever and witty as we talked, you were … _engaging_ in bed."

Her face dropped instantly again as her cheeks all the way up to her ears felt burning.

"I asked for permission, I truly did. Still, if you can't remember … I can only hope you believe me. I really did ask, and you said yes. Still, I shouldn't have done it. I feel awful about it now."

"N-no!" she blurted out. "I mean, it was my fault—"

"No," he insisted sternly. "I knew you had two glasses of wine, plus those cocktails. Part of me _knew_ you were drunk, but I was tipsy as well, and that might be why I didn't stop myself as I should have done. It's not an excuse, though."

"I'm not mad it happened," she assured him. "I'm just … confused." She muttered to herself, "I wish I could remember it."

He looked relieved to hear that she was not angry. "You looked really cute the way you sat there drinking. I fell for your charms, but maybe I was a little pushy. By the way, you're very talkative when you drink."

He suddenly downed his brandy with a reminiscent smile on his face. He ordered seconds for both of them, then slowly began to speak again.

"That night … you … how can I put it?"

"Oh no!" Lucy cringed. "Did I do something weird?"

He leaned back a little, looking off with a sigh. "Well, it does embarrass me to say this out loud."

Lucy shuddered and felt the blood drain from her face. ' _What the heck did I do?_ ' She wanted to run away and hide, but she desperately needed to hear what he was going to say next.

"You … spoke passionately about how much you respect me, how much you liked me, and a certain commercial I worked on long ago."

"C-Commercial?" He meant the observatory commercial from when she was in college. Lucy was stunned that she had gotten so drunk, she told him about _that_. Her passion for advertising had its provenance with him. And she told him. She told _the man himself_. She was so humiliated, she could not look at him, but he seemed to enjoy teasing her.

"You were working really hard to make your point across to me that you adored me."

"Oh my God," Lucy whispered, sinking down.

"It was fun listening to you. Maybe I needed to hear all that. I let you talk, and you kept on heaping praise to me. It was overwhelming, to be certain. Before I knew it, it was already rather late and the bar was closing. We walked out only to find ourselves in the middle of a downpour. I told you to wait, but you just walked off in some random direction. I probably should have realized you were drunk. It was like you didn't even realize how hard it was raining. You got totally drenched."

Lucy was stunned. Then when he said _how wet you were_ , he meant from the rain? He was … teasing her? Oh, that was one _evil_ tease!

Loke had another one of his mysterious smiles. He swirled the brandy in his glass, and the ice cubes clinked together.

"I finally got you to take a taxi, but before I could get your address, you fell asleep on my shoulder. It was past two in the morning, so I wasn't that surprised that you fell asleep. Natsu fell asleep at the bar, and Gray dumped a glass of ice water on his head to wake him up. It nearly caused a fight," he said with a laugh. "However, I couldn't wake you up, and you were already drenched from the rain, so I booked a hotel for you."

"Oh!" Lucy cried out.

A memory returned to her.

…

 _She was in a room, drenched down to her skin. Loke was there, helping her out of her blouse._

 _"You're going to catch a cold."_

 _She realized he was right and threw off her bra. Loke looked stunned by her brazen move._

 _"Mmm … Mr. Leo."_

 _"Yes?" he asked, picking up the sopping wet clothes to hang over the back of a chair._

 _She walked up to him until her breasts pressed against his chest. "I've admired you for the longest time."_

 _"Oh boy…" he sighed, looking weary and torn._

 _"Getting to talk to you like this is a dream come true. You're a man I really want to impress…" She pressed her body up against his. "…in many ways."_

 _That brought back Loke's attentiveness. "Sounds like you're not just talking about my commercials anymore."_

 _"They're brilliant. You're brilliant, but more than that. I love you."_

 _Her words obviously shocked him, but then he had a predatory gleam in his eyes. "You should be more careful saying that."_

 _"I mean it," Lucy whispered, tiptoeing to get closer to his face. "I love you."_

 _Her eyes had closed. She thought she remembered lips on hers, then arms around her, then Loke muttering some sort of warning that she ignored, before it all faded to black again._

…

"I probably should have stopped it at the first kiss," Loke said, bringing her back into the present, "but I honestly didn't want to. You were … persuasive," he said with a smirk. "You roused me until I couldn't take it anymore. The things you were saying were too adorable. I couldn't help myself, especially with you stripping yourself naked like that and declared your love for me."

Lucy buried her face in her hands and groaned.

"I gave you a warning that I am no gentleman, and I wouldn't stop with just a kiss. I said it a couple of times to make sure you really understood. Your response was, 'It's you. I want to.'"

' _Oh my God, it was **me**! I wanted it that badly. I totally came onto him. I was the one who seduced him, Fairy Tail's Creative Director … my _boss _! Dammit, let me just crawl into a hole and vanish._ '

"I am so, so sorry. I drank too much, and then I … I…"

He laughed to brush past it. "This bar must have some really good liquor if you can't remember any of that. Next time, you really need to watch how much you drink at company parties."

Like that, he was excusing her drunken behavior. She felt relieved that her boss was not upset at her. It was one dread out of the way, but many worse ones still between them.

"I really am sorry," Lucy muttered. "I _bugged_ you like that, talking about the commercial."

"No, it made me happy, hearing you say those things. Especially saying that you love me."

Lucy's face went brighter, but Loke tipped her chin up so he could look at her.

"I felt an attraction to you in that moment that left no room for remembering that I'm your boss, and you're my employee. In that moment, you were just an amazingly gorgeous woman saying she wanted me. I wish you could remember enough to believe me."

"I do," she whispered, transfixed by his gaze. "Slowly. Bits and pieces." His face was now so close, Lucy stopped breathing.

"It made me really happy to find someone who liked me for my work."

What could she say? He was attracted to her? It made him happy? She said she loved him? All of this was too much.

"It … made me happy, too." She knew she was mumbling, but it took all of her strength to speak the words. "Spending that night with you … someone I've admired for so long … made me happy."

"Really?" he said with a charmed smile. "It's nice that you feel that way about me, but…" He laughed with a bit of shyness. "I'm afraid you're idealizing me. I might not be the man you think I am."

Although they now had this intimate issue between them, Lucy still admired him deeply. That awe at his creative intellect and ability to capture emotions in a few sentences would never dim.

"I don't think of that night as a mistake," he said firmly. "I wanted to make love to you, and I did. There's nothing to regret in that respect."

Lucy could hardly believe how directly he could say that. He wanted to … with her! But then Loke pulled back, crossed his arms, and looked chagrined.

"If you're apologizing, though, then that means I should apologize for making you so anxious. You had too much to drink, so your judgment was clouded. I'm the one who was responsible. I'm a thoughtless man who makes advances to those who work under him. You must be horribly disillusioned and disappointed in me."

"What?" gasped Lucy.

She was about to insist that she was not, when she paused and thought back to yesterday. She did do that internet search. She had reacted with so much guilt when Freed yelled about breaking rules, and when the television actor screamed _Cheater_. She had been immensely anxious ever since waking up in that hotel room.

While she searched for the right words, Loke grinned.

"You're a little too honest, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"It's all over your face."

She dropped her head again to stare at her hands twisting on her lap. "Well, it started with me. I'm the one who got you mixed up with me. That was the first time I'd ever had so much to drink that I can't remember what happened. I'm really sorry for mixing you up in that."

"In that case, you could say it's my fault for letting you drink that much. I had even asked Freed to get you another cocktail."

Lucy remembered Freed leaning into her ear and whispering, ' _Shall I get you another drink?_ ' Suddenly, she also recalled leaning up close to him to fix his tie as their group left the bar. Maybe that was why he had leaned in so close about the missed button, a way of paying her back for doing something so flirty.

"Gray … he said something about me not answering my phone."

"Hmm? Oh, I was trying to call you. I had planned to bring you and Gray in on this Grand Magic Games commercial early, but since you weren't picking up your phone, I rescheduled it for a team meeting, which we had today."

"So that's why he mentioned it," Lucy muttered. "And Dr. Capricorn?"

"That old goat?" Loke chuckled. "I think he tried to warn me not to go with you, but I didn't listen. He probably realized you were drunk right away, being a doctor."

Things fell into place now. Yesterday's insanity made sense, and it all made Lucy laugh in relief. Loke looked relieved at hearing her laughter and joined in quietly.

"Finally, a smile." He sighed, and his shoulders loosened. Lucy had not even realized how stiffly he had been sitting ever since he realized she was too drunk to remember that night. It must have truly worried him, realizing he did something inexcusable.

"Mr. Leo?" she asked, touched that he was this concerned for her. She was pretty certain, though, she was the one who wanted him, and yet he had wanted her as well. It was drunk, yes, but it was mutual. Even now, she wanted … no, she could not let herself think like that. "Can I ask something a little embarrassing?"

"Are you going to ask me to make love to you again?" he said with a teasing smile.

Her face burst into red. "N-no. That night, we … I mean … Did you use a … um…"

"I was shocked when you said you had a condom in your purse. That's rather smart of you, and lucky, because I didn't have one on me. It was almost past the expiration date, though. You haven't been laid in a long time, have you?"

She covered her face again. Seriously, how could he say these things in public?

"Sorry, that went too far," he muttered. "To answer: yes, we used protection. I wouldn't have done so otherwise. And since it's all over your face: no, you didn't do anything outrageous. If you have kinks, I don't know about them … yet."

"Mr. Leo!" she cried out.

"Sorry, sorry. All right, let's do this," he said decisively. "No more worrying about that night, and no more apologizing that it happened. We're going to be working directly with one another now, so let's just move forward with no regrets."

Lucy nodded firmly. He was right. Since she was going to be on the team for the GMG commercial, she now worked directly under Loke. She would get to work with the man she had idolized since college, long before she started working at Fairy Tail. She realized she would get to learn from him and develop her skills. It was the chance of a lifetime!

"That face," Loke said, staring at her. He could see her enthusiasm for the job, and he nodded proudly. "You talked passionately that night about advertising, too. I could tell how much this work means to you."

That was true. Many of Lucy's coworkers were there because it was a job, a paycheck, a way to cover the rent. Few felt as passionately about Fairy Tail as she did.

"So, another toast," Loke declared, raising his brandy glass. "To working together."

Lucy clinked her glass against his. "I look forward to learning from you, Mr. Leo."

"Hah! Always right back to business with you and me."

Lucy got lost watching the way he laughed.

No more apologizing, and no more worrying about that night. Forget it ever happened.

Maybe that was his way of being kind, forgiving her and letting her move out of her anxious state of mind. It helped in a way. Lucy was able to laugh along with him, and that dead weight in her gut at the _mistake_ of that night was forgotten.

That evening, Lucy did not drink herself into oblivion. Instead, she simply had fun with Loke, talking about work until late into the night. He told her about his worst project to work on, and she told him about her favorite ad, a commercial for a pet food company that used over a dozen cats. That led to Loke telling her all about his cats growing up.

It was a way to get back to normal so Lucy could focus at her desk for the rest of the week.

He walked her to the train station and they separated amiably. Lucy went home to Plue with a lighter heart. However, there was always a nagging disappointment in her mind late at night. Loke was so kind, so caring, and in the few memories that returned to her, he had been tender, concerned, not just fucking her and walking away, but holding her and stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

Lucy was left with the feeling that, if they had met in another time and place, maybe they could have done things right and have been happy with one another. Instead, it was a one-night stand with her boss, and she had no other option but to force herself to bury the warm emotions in her heart.


	6. Team Leo

Chapter 6

 **Team Leo**

The following Tuesday, the team Loke had assembled had their first meeting about the Grand Magic Games commercial. They all formally introduced themselves, since many had not worked together before, although they knew one another in some way. Then they leaped right into the meeting. Freed was the first to stand up.

"As you all know, when it comes to the promotional campaigns representing Crocus of all of Fiore, the customary thing has been for the kingdom not to shop around with the different agencies, but to use the kingdom's number one largest ad agency: Sabertooth."

"In other words," Loke expanded, "the city of Crocus is trying something new."

Freed continued, "The fact that they are shopping around this time, to be frank, comes down to the economic impact of the Games." He passed around a handout with charts and survey results, and began to explain it. "In recent years, youths' interest in sporting enterprises has been low, and ratings keep plummeting for football, golf, baseball, and hockey. As the data shows, the GMG is no exception."

Lucy was impressed with how easy it was for even someone like her, with no interest in accounting or a mind for money, to understand all of the data gathered by Freed. Young people in Fiore were remarkably less interested in sports than they were twenty years ago. However, hosting the GMG required a massive investment. She understood what Freed meant when he explained that there was no point in companies putting in money on ads if that investment did not pay off in tangible economic results.

"Okay," Gray said, glancing the charts over intensely. "So, the purpose of this commercial is to bring attention, and thus an audience, to watch the Games on TV. The more excitement we build, the more sponsors sign up for commercial slots during the Games."

"Which also means more potential clients for us," Natsu pointed out.

"Right, it's a snowball effect," said Gray as he glanced over Freed's charts. "What we really need to do, though, is target the least-interested audience. It's poignant that this means Millennials, especially since they have the most buying power economically."

"Correct," said Freed. "Our ideal target range should be teens to thirties."

"College students, young families," Lucy said, thinking it through. "That age range reacts better with emotional messages."

"It'll also have to be flashy," Gray pointed out. "We want to make a splash into new waters with this."

Lucy nodded to herself. "What they want is a commercial that attracts new fans, targeting people who do not _currently_ have any interest in the Grand Magic Games, or in sports in general." Already, her mind was sorting through these details.

Freed spoke a little bit longer about the financial side of the project, the budget they had to work with, and predicted expenses. When he finished his presentation, Loke looked to the two members of the Creative Department.

"Lucy, I want you to come up with a draft, the _concept_ of the commercial. Gray, you'll write the lines for the commercial that Lucy comes up with as well as a campaign and series of events to go along with the commercial."

"You got it," Gray said, nodding firmly.

"Okay!" Lucy said, energized to get started. Drafting the commercial concept was the _heart_ of the presentation.

' _And he's giving that job to me._ '

Natsu looked as fired up as always. "All right, I have a few things to get this started within media circles. Lucy, Gray, you're going to go to the Crocus offices a few times before the presentation."

Gray was thinking the same thing. "To learn more about their needs and the direction they want to take."

"Right!" Natsu said with a grin. "I'll go with you to handle the account management side of things. You two have until the last day to bring the quality of this commercial and campaign to its absolute limit. Think you can do that?" he said with a challenging smirk at Gray.

"Obviously," Gray said with a cocky gleam in his eyes.

Lucy nodded in agreement. "We'll give it everything we've got."

Natsu drummed his fingers on the desk. "The truth is, this is going to be a hard battle to win. After all, for years, no agency aside from _Sabertooth_ has handled such a large-scale promotional event." He said their name with a sneer.

Hearing this, Freed added in, "What's strange is that there hasn't been any chance to compete for the accounts in all this time."

"Oh, there are rumors about that," said Gray.

"You and your rumors," Freed muttered.

Gray ignored him. "People say that Sabertooth has a _cozy relationship_ with Crocus and the government of Fiore."

Natsu chimed in, "Yeah, I heard about that, something like how the bigwigs at Sabertooth have a connection with the king."

Lucy was not normally one for office rumors, but this seemed to be important to the future of their project, so she followed along closely. She got the feeling that suddenly getting the chance to compete for an account like this was an opportunity they never could have hoped for.

"Really, Mr. Leo," Natsu said, "you surprise me. Wrenching open the closed system and getting us the chance to present. That kind of thing normally goes through the accounts department."

Lucy gawked over at the Creative Director. So, was it Loke who got them this chance? She saw that Freed did not show an ounce of surprise. Obviously, he already knew about this, but it was the first time Gray and Lucy had heard of this.

The prim man shoved his classes up his nose. "You say _wrenched open_ , but it's not as though I pushed my way in."

"But then—"

Loke cut Natsu off. "Never holding meetings and working exclusively with one agency is unheard of," he said, looking stiff for a moment, almost angered by some deep, long-held grudge. "What's weird is that they've been doing that all along. They claim they'll only take _the best_ , but by always using Sabertooth, they are automatically deemed the best by the sheer amount of money pouring in from the government. No other agency could ever get a client with that much financial power."

"All the agencies know that it's fishy," Gray pointed out. "They just couldn't bring themselves to speak up about it. This is the _kingdom_ , after all."

Loke shrugged with a slightly flippant air. "Yeah, well, now someone has decided to say something. That's all this is."

Lucy was amazed. From what she gathered by the conversation, Loke himself put the GMG committee up to this. Loke spoke so calmly, but she saw a vague tension in his shoulders. Obviously, he did not want to go into it any more than he already had.

So, this was what he was like on the job. Probably few people at Lucy's level got to see this sort of shrewdness. The extent of their work interactions with Loke were nervous hellos in the morning. Here he was, a man bold enough to have opened up a government committee to take presentations, and took one of the spots for himself. That was incredible! How in the world did he do it? Obviously, he was better at his job than Lucy ever even dreamed in all of her lofty admiration of him.

Loke looked out at all of them. "As Gray pointed out: a successful commercial will bring in more audience. More audience means more sponsors. More sponsors means more ad spots, and of course those sponsors would want to work with the person who created the initial commercial. If we can win the GMG account, it could affect the entire future of Fairy Tail. We can't lose this, even if we're competing against Sabertooth, the one agency bigger than us."

They all nodded in agreement. Even Lucy sensed the importance of this endeavor, and she could hardly believe she would be working on such an important mission. She felt a rush of nervousness, but also excitement unlike anything she had felt before. Lucy fisted up a hand in resolve. She was determined to make the best commercial they had ever seen. Loke had entrusted her with this important task. He would not have put someone he _just sort of liked_ to be on a team this vital to the entire future of the company.

That meant, before their hookup, he saw something promising in her work. She had to prove herself, not just to Loke, but to the team and to all of Fairy Tail.

And so, Team Leo left their first official meeting and went back to their respective departments, set to win the Grand Magic Games account. Lucy first made some stops to collect material on the previous years' GMG commercials, then she returned to her department. Her job was the draw up an outline for the commercial. To do that, she had to brainstorm potential concepts.

What should the commercial be like? It had to be splashy, targeting teens to thirties, something that people with no interest in the GMG would care about. She was looking over the material and puzzling over her problem when a hand patted her on the shoulder.

"Hard at work, I see."

Lucy leaped at the deep voice. "Mr. Leo!" She felt like where he had touched her shoulder was glowing with warmth.

He glanced at the pile of documents and pouted slightly with concern. "It's good that there's something you can refer to, but don't get too wrapped up in examples from the past," he warned. "Do that, and your strengths will be diminished."

Her strengths? "When you say my strengths…" she muttered nervously.

"You're not influenced by those around you, and you put a depth of feeling into your work. If you read too many examples from previous years, you won't be able to get them out of your heart."

"You think so?" she muttered, glancing at the pile she had amassed.

"By the way, I saw your previous storyboards. Your manager showed me the early drafts of your most recent one, as well. Seeing how you progressed and narrowed down your concept while keeping it touching and emotionally inspirational was what made me put you on the team."

Lucy's mouth dropped. Never did she think those storyboards, especially the one that had to be rushed due to a change in deadline, would attract Loke's attention. She had been wondering why she was chosen out of everyone in her department. He must have researched many candidates, and she somehow caught his attention.

"You're talented; I can see it," Loke praised. "Do what your gut tells you to do."

Lucy was amazed. Loke was telling her in his own way that he had her back, and he trusted her skill.

"Thank you!" she said, firm in her resolve. "When I have something to show, I'll bring it to you to look over."

"Good. Looking forward to it." He gave her another pat on the shoulder and then left the office. Lucy needed a moment to calm down her inner giddiness.

' _Mr. Leo thinks I'm good. I can't believe this is happening. I'm so happy. I have to do my best. I want him to see how good I can be._ '

Following his advice, she closed her file on previous ad campaigns. Then, with a fresh mind, she directed her attention to a fresh storyboard.


	7. Office Rumor

Chapter 7

 **Office Rumor**

A few days after "Team Leo's" first meeting, Lucy was having lunch with Levy and Cana when the conversation turned to her selection for the special team.

"So," Levy said in excitement, " _the_ Loke Leo has noticed your work."

"And?" Cana asked, drinking a can of beer she brought with her from home. "Spill it, girl."

Lucy swallowed down her sandwich. "Spill what?"

"I want to hear about Mr. Leo. What's it like?"

"What's … _it_ … like?" Lucy felt the blood drain from her face. Spill? What's it like? Did Cana somehow know about their night together? "N-no, that … it's … There's nothing to that!"

"Huh?" Cana set her beer down. "Why are you so flustered? I'm talking about the presentation you're doing for the GMG account. I heard that this _Team Leo_ was handpicked, the best of the best. I bet you guys will come up with something awesome, right?"

"Oh," Lucy said, suddenly relieved. So _that_ was what she meant! Lucy had let her imagination get the best of her for a moment. Luckily, neither Cana not Levy heard her soft sigh of relief.

Levy grabbed her arms from across the table. "You're excited, I can tell. Like Natsu says, you're all fired up."

"Yeah," Lucy admitted. "You know, at first I was just surprised, but the fact that I was chosen makes me want to really give it everything I've got. This is my chance to work with Mr. Leo, after all, and it's for such a prestigious event, something global."

"Uh-huh," Cana said with a sly smirk. "Is that really all?"

Lucy felt anxiety all over again. "What do you mean?"

"I get the feeling that it isn't _just_ the fact that it's the Grand Magic Games that has you fired up."

Lucy was stunned that Cana had picked up on how happy she was to be working with Loke for an entirely different reason.

Lucy laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, right. I'm just psyched to be working on something for the Grand Magic Games."

"Well, sure," Levy said. "The GMG is one of the world's biggest events, our kingdom is hosting it, and _you_ are working on the commercial the nation will be airing for it. If this goes well, there could be a promotion on the horizon."

"A promotion?" Lucy asked. "For whom?"

"You, obviously," Cana shouted out.

Lucy was shocked. She had not thought about that at all and was not sure how she felt about the idea.

"Ehh … I don't know. I like having my work recognized, but I don't want to be in management. I want to make commercials that touch people."

Cana let out a flustered exhale. "You're so unambitious. I'll bet you all of those guys are thinking about how this will boost their careers."

"Oh, hey," Levy piped in before Cana got brusque about Lucy's love for her job and no desire for something with more pay. "Have you heard the rumor about Mr. Leo?"

Lucy was glad to talk about him and not her lack of desire for vertical movement in the company. "What rumor?"

"Well, Cana told me only a little."

Cana gulped her beer. "Yeah, apparently not many people know this, so I don't know all the details, only what I heard." She dropped her voice so low, Levy and Lucy had to lean in to hear. "My boy told me … Mr. Leo is engaged."

Lucy froze, and for a few seconds her heart plummeted. "What?" she whispered.

By _my boy_ , Cana obviously meant the man she was having an affair with. He was high up in management and held a close position to Loke, which meant this was not just some random wild guess from banter in the ladies' restroom. It was fairly legit intel on Loke himself.

That meant, rumor or not, it definitely _could_ be true.

"He has a fiancée," Lucy muttered in numbed shock.

"I don't have any details," Cana said, still keeping her voice low, "but apparently someone here saw him going for a drive with a drop-dead gorgeous woman, holding her arm and everything, like they were on a date."

"Oh, I heard that rumor," Levy piped in. Lucy had not, but she had been too busy with work to bother with gossip.

"So, I asked my boy about it, and he said it was the woman he was engaged to."

"O-oh … wow."

A date … a fiancée…

Lucy recalled at the bar on their last meeting there, Loke said, " _I felt an attraction to you in that moment that left no room for remembering that I'm your boss, and you're my employee._ "

He said something like that, yet he was engaged. He slept with her that night, and he had a fiancée. What sort of man did that?

"What do you suppose she's like?" Cana wondered.

Lucy jolted out of her dark thoughts. "Huh? Who?"

Cana scoffed. "Weren't you listening?"

Levy looked concerned. "You're a little spacey lately. Are you feeling okay?"

"Mr. Leo's fiancée!" Cana mused, gazing up as she tried to picture it. "I wonder what kind of person she is. She'd have to be of high status, of course, a refined lady, and people already say she's drop-dead gorgeous. Mr. Leo wouldn't settled for anyone less."

Lucy wondered about that. After all, he had slept with her, and she was nothing special, not rich nor refined, and although she put some time into her makeup and hair, she knew plenty of women prettier than her. She did not feel like talking about this subject. Levy seemed to realize something was wrong, but Cana did not pick up on it at all. She leaned forward excitedly.

"I know! You should casually bring it up, get some info out of him. I bet you're the only one who could do that. You're the sole woman on Team Leo, after all."

Lucy shuddered at even the idea of it. "N-no way. We only talk about work."

That was not really true; they had talked late into the night about many things that last time at the bar. She hated lying to Levy and Cana, but there was no way she could tell them the truth.

" _No more apologizing and no more worrying about that night._ " That was what Loke had said. Lucy was not going to regret that it happened anymore, nor was she going to worry about it. Loke did not regret it or think it was a mistake, so she shouldn't either. Besides, the fiancée had nothing to do with her. That was Loke's personal business. She had no reason to be jealous or feel guilty about it.

At least, she _shouldn't_ … yet Lucy felt her heart growing heavier.

Cana sighed. "And here I thought he was happy to be a wealthy bachelor. Guess he's getting more action than I thought, huh?"

"Don't ask me," Lucy snapped. "I only know Mr. Leo, the Creative Director. It'd be improper to think about my boss' love life." She knew that was hypocritical of her, considering she had _become_ part of Loke's love life, if only for one night.

"You're so dull, Lucy. But fine, if it's weird for you to think about him banging in bed."

"Cana!" Memories flooded into her mind, Loke above her, the feel of his cock thrusting into her, a vague sense of riding on top of him, and the feeling of exhaustion as she fell asleep in his arms. If only she could truly remember it all.

"Still," Cana went on, chuckling at riling her up into a blush, "he's good at his job, he's engaged to be married, and now this GMG account. Do you think he's extra motivated to do well professionally because he has that woman around to impress?"

"Extra motivated?" Lucy asked. Loke had definitely seemed energized about his work during their meetings, but she had never seen him in action before to know if that was normal or something extra. "Do you think so?"

"Well, sure! He's in line for a promotion."

"Oh, I've heard that rumor," said Levy. "They might make him a partner in the company. That'd make him the youngest partner in Fairy Tail's history. They say the CEO speaks with him directly."

Lucy nodded, also having heard that particular rumor. "That's how impressive Mr. Leo's contributions to Fairy Tail are."

Cana added, "If you win the account, Mr. Leo will definitely get that promotion."

Considering all Lucy had heard about him during their meeting that week, how he must have done a lot of work just to convince the officials in Crocus to open up the account and take into consideration agencies outside of Sabertooth, he more than earned a promotion, even to being a partner in the company.

A promotion like that was probably very important to him. Lucy was happy with her current job, but Loke had such an ambitious smile during their meeting. He was the sort of man motivated enough to really end up somewhere important.

Levy, Cana, and Lucy turned the conversation away from workplace rumors and to a show all three watched. They spent the rest of lunch talking about nothing special, and Lucy tried to shove aside the nagging ache in her heart at the idea that Loke slept with her when he might be engaged to some refined lady.


	8. Encouragement

Chapter 8

 **Encouragement**

It was the second week, and after their Tuesday meeting, Loke held Lucy in his office while the rest of the team left. Being alone with him was nerve-racking. She knew he would never attempt to do something here at work, but she wondered, if he actually did offer for anything _more_ , what would she do?

"I looked at the proposal you turned in today," he said, pulling out the papers she had written up, with ideas and potential storyboards. "From what I gleaned, it's confined to facts about how amazing the Grand Magic Games are."

"That's right," she said, already hearing the displeasure in his voice but hoping she could make her case for the storyboards. "I think it's mainly the festivities and cheer that attract people to the Olympics, so I tried to convey that."

Her concept for the commercial was ENERGY. She used prominent athletes who had the potential to win the gold and focused on showing how incredible they were.

"Okay," he said ambivalently as he flipped through the papers. "There's something to that. You're capturing what the GMG are at face value and expressing how incredible it is. That's good … but that's not what I want from you."

Lucy had been in that field of work long enough to know that _that's not what I want from you_ was a polite way of saying the proposal she submitted sucked. Although it felt like a stab to the heart after she had worked on this for a whole week, she knew it was vital for this project to capture precisely the right theme. Loke chose her because he believed she could do this. She had to do better than something basic and _good enough_.

"Try thinking about it from another angle," he suggested. "I have faith in you. You can do it." With that, he gave back the documents she had submitted. She supposed that was kinder than just throwing them in the trash.

"Another angle? Such as?"

"Thinking about that is _your_ job."

True. He had given her a hint and some encouragement. Now it was up to her to pull it off. He might have an idea of his own about another angle for the campaign, but he wanted her to come up with something fresh, something unique. That was the whole point of being a team.

She did not have time to sulk. She had to trust her talent, since he was trusting her with a mission this important.

She took the papers from him. "I'm sorry. I'll work on a new idea."

"You don't need to apologize. This is a very good storyboard, and if it was an ordinary account, you would've gotten an okay right away for something of this high quality. However, we're competing with other agencies here. We need something beyond _good_. We need _jaw-dropping_."

Oh, so she didn't totally suck, it was just that the GMG account was so important, she had to push past her normal limits of creativity. They had to win it at all cost, and they were up against Sabertooth.

"I know," she said firmly. "It has to be beyond what everyone is expecting."

"That's right. I'll know when you have it because I'll be picking my jaw up off the ground and wiping the drool off."

That made her chuckle and dissipated some of the gloom. She firmed up her resolve. "I won't disappoint you, sir."

"I know you won't, Miss Heartfilia."

Something about those words and the gleam in his eyes made her heart suddenly flutter. She bowed and left the room before she could succumb to that moment of weakness.

* * *

In the days to come, while sitting at her desk, all she thought about was the commercial. She jotted down ideas into a little notebook, until she had three whole pages of listed concepts. She began to cross one after another off as she ignored ideas that were average, and she tried to push the commercial theme into a new direction.

Once again, she was the only one left in the office. Lately, she had been catching the last train, but she realized she had missed even that. It hardly mattered to her. That day, Lucy felt invigorated, totally in the zone. The late hour meant nothing, not when she felt this creative.

She needed a little break and decided to buy a drink from the vending machine. Another angle. Another angle. The ideas she had before all focused on the athletes, showing off the power and energy of the GMG matches.

"I'm looking at the event too directly," she said to herself as she went to the break room. "I should be thinking about … what? How it changes the athletes? No, that's still focusing on just them. What do I want to say?"

"Hey, weirdo!"

A canned coffee appeared in front of her nose from behind, and Lucy jolted around to see a huge grin and bright pink hair.

"Natsu! You're still here?"

"Look who's talking. You've been working overtime every day lately."

"Yeah, my proposals aren't getting approved. I turn in a new one every few days, but nothing works."

"I liked that last one."

"Thanks," she muttered, smiling that at least someone liked it, "but getting the okay on a proposal for the GMG isn't easy. I couldn't argue with any of the pointers I've been given. In other words, deep in my heart, I knew I wasn't satisfied with the proposals myself."

He patted her head like he used to do when they were children. "You really are focused when it comes to your work. Still, you're really taking a beating on this one." He teasingly poked her on the forehead. "Work that brain of yours, Lucy. Think you can pull it off?"

She chuckled and swiped his hand away. "I just have to do my very best and see how far I can go. I'm getting personal direction from Mr. Leo himself, after all."

"Hey, that's right, you wanted to work here because you were inspired by one of his commercials." He playfully nudged her shoulder with his fist. "Sounds like _someone_ has an impure motive."

"It's totally pure," she insisted with a pout.

"I know you're not pure. There was that guy your sophomore year—"

"Oh, hush!"

"And prom night."

"That was purely a rumor and you know it!"

"And then that guy you dated in college."

"We broke up on good terms."

"Yeah, but your roommate used to complain about how loud you two were in bed. Not pure then, not pure now. You came to Fairy Tail chasing after another man. I should feel jealous that you weren't simply chasing after me."

"Natsu!"

"If you want to impress Mr. Leo, you have to flirt in his language, and that's with creativity."

"I don't flirt with anyone I work with," she insisted.

"I know, not even me. How boring!"

She scowled at him, but she knew it was just his way of encouraging her. Natsu was allowed to tease her like this since they had known each other for so long. "You're a jerk."

"And you're a weirdo."

"Thanks for the coffee."

"Someone's gotta look out for you. Will you be here a bit longer? I also have some work to finish up. I can take you home."

"Don't try anything weird."

Natsu laughed at the idea. "When have I ever done that?"

Never, and that was why she trusted Natsu so much. "Then don't throw up on me. You're weak to transportation."

"Sh-shut up!" he muttered with a pout that made her laugh like when they were children.

They stayed even later into the night to complete some work. Finally, they knew they needed to leave. Natsu hailed a cab, took Lucy home, and somehow managed not to vomit on the ride there. He needed a rest before taking another ride, so he stayed for a while and helped her with walking Plue. They chatted, and he kept an eye on the dark surroundings while she cleaned up after the dog. Then when she was settled in for the night, Natsu patted her on the back with a final word of encouragement before heading on home himself.

Lucy was glad to have Natsu there. He was a year older than her, yet he had risen through Fairy Tail far faster than her. He was the devil of the sales department with his sights set on the highest ranks in Fairy Tail. Lucy watched him leave in a cab and knew deep in her heart that Natsu was going to go somewhere in his career and in his life (if he did not puke to death one day from carsickness) while she was happy where she was, writing and playing with Plue.

Natsu and Loke were similar in that respect, two men with ambition, and she deeply respected them both.


	9. Sports Car Ride

Chapter 9

 **Sports Car Ride**

A few nights later, Lucy walked out of the Fairy Tail building after staying late once again, only to see it pouring rain.

"Ah man," she groaned. "The forecast said it'd be clear all day. Great!"

She did not have an umbrella, and there were no convenience stores nearby. Everything was closed for the night. She looked down at her watch. If she hurried, she could still catch the last train. She shielded her purse and faced the dismal skies with resolution.

"Okay! Time to suck it up and run to the station as fast as I can. Prepare to get drenched…"

Just as she was about to bolt, a car pulled up in front of the Fairy Tail building. She stopped short, wondering who it could be. She had seen no one else inside at such a late hour. The passenger side window slowly lowered, and the driver peeked out. It was a face she knew all too well.

Loke!

"Hey," he said in a friendly tone. "Can you believe this rain?"

"I know," she said awkwardly. "Um…"

"Well? Hurry up and get in already. You don't want to get sick."

Lucy gulped hard. Ride? With him? However, he gave Lucy an inviting smile, and she knew she could not resist the opportunity. She hurried through the rain and slid into the passenger seat. She closed the door, and the window rolled up automatically. The rain tapping on the roof and windshield wipers were the only sounds she could hear. The car slowly started to move. Lucy buckled up and tried to make herself as small as possible on her seat, nervous in the silence between them. Loke had his eyes focused on the road, and he was not saying anything, probably realizing she would be intimidated, riding in a car alone with a man. She needed to say something to break the tension.

"Um … thank you." After that, to hide her nervousness, she took a handkerchief out of her purse to dry her hair.

"I just happened to see you. Lucky timing," Loke said with a light smile, yet he still had his official _director voice_. Lucy tried to force herself to see it that way. This was just a boss looking out for his subordinate.

Still, she was afraid that she might start to stare at him, so she forced herself to look away, gazing at the city of Magnolia flashing by in refractions of light in the rain.

"So, where to?"

"Huh? Oh! Strawberry Street. Do you know where that is?"

"No, but GPS does."

She gave him her address, he entered it, and a map pulled up on his navigation dash. Lucy was impressed. Her last car had not had any of this technology, but that had been many years ago and a really cheap, used car. She had been relying on trains since moving to Magnolia.

"You stayed awfully late," he stated after a long silence.

"I haven't finished revising my proposal." Since they were talking about work, she felt slightly more at ease. "I have an idea I think will work, but the storyboarding is taking time." She turned and saw him in profile, his hands on the wheel, his tie off and a couple of buttons loosened on his shirt, a smile on his face as he watched traffic. He looked casual and relaxed, and it put her even more at ease.

"It's not good to work too hard."

"I know," she sighed, and despite herself, she could not pull her eyes away from staring at him. It was the first time she had seen him drive. It was a brand new sports car, heated leather seats, and she could barely feel the road, as if they were flying, not driving. Somehow, the light in his eyes and the relaxed posture were different from how he looked at work, and even at the bar. It was like she was getting a glimpse of him in his private life.

They came to a stop light, and the windshield wipers flicked the drops away. "It's not letting up," he muttered, looking out the window.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah…" Talking about the weather was always a safe bet, and it was obvious that was his aim, to keep her feeling at ease. However, Lucy wondered why he was out so late. She worried if everything was all right, but she did not have the guts to ask.

The rain pounded against the windshield, and the _swiff swiff_ of the wipers were all she heard. The silence between them was oppressive, but she honestly had no clue what to talk about. Not the weather; there was only so much you could say about rain. Not work; it was all they talked about, and he looked so relaxed now. Then she remembered what Cana had said.

" _Have you heard the rumor about Mr. Leo? Apparently someone here saw him going for a drive with a drop-dead gorgeous woman, holding her arm and everything, like they were on a date_."

His fiancée. A date. Was it in this car? Had his bride-to-be been sitting right where she was now?

"I … um … I hear that you're engaged." The issue she had both wanted to ask about and not wanted to know at all came out of her mouth awkwardly.

Loke's eyes widened a little. He glanced over in dismay. "How did you know about that?"

Lucy panicked. Was that supposed to be a secret? "I … I just happened to hear about it."

' _Oh God, maybe I shouldn't have said anything. It's not public knowledge, which means he wanted to keep it to himself. I can't say who I heard it from, because it would expose the man Cana is seeing. Crap!_ '

Loke looked back at the road, but now there was a pinch to his brow. "Well, technically, we're not engaged. It was just an _omiai_ , a traditional matchmaking arrangement. We were introduced to each other as _perspective_ marriage partners. Nothing more."

He said it so casually, but Lucy was speechless. She had never heard of an _omiai_ before. Did people still do matchmaking like that? They stopped at a red light, and Lucy watched his face, trying to sort out her feelings. He slowly turned to her.

"Luckily, _omiai_ are not forced marriages," he explained. "Two people are introduced whom others feel would make a good match. They meet, chat, and see if there's any chemistry."

"So it's like Tinder for rich people?" She cringed as soon as she said it. What a stupid comparison!

He laughed, and she thought his smile was charming. "A bit more formal than that. There's some ceremony to it, and it's specifically about getting married, not simply dating. Her father arranged it, and my family agreed. It's just a meeting. We might get married, we might not. I guess the most truthful thing to say is, I don't know her well enough yet to decide."

"Oh," she whispered. "You'd never met her before?"

"A few times when she was younger, briefly, but I never really talked to her." The light turned green and he drove on. "Gotta admit, it's not a bad arrangement," Loke added. "It'd help me get a promotion."

That sounded horribly lonely. A marriage just for business? For a promotion? Then again, he was a man with endless ambition and limitless talent.

"I guess it's true what they say about you," Lucy said, trying to sound lively. "You live for your work."

Loke snorted out a wry laugh. "I get that a lot. 'A bachelor, at your age! You're married to your job.' The truth is, I don't really want to be single for the rest of my life. There was a time when I thought a lot about settling down, starting a family, all the typical humdrum things in life. I've been too busy with work for dating. The years somehow slipped by. That nosy old man keeps telling me to live for myself once in a while before I get too old."

Old man? Did he mean the CEO? Lucy also knew that there was no way to keep women away from a man like Loke. No matter how old he got, he had a charm that transcended age.

"But … would you really get married for a promotion?" she asked, a bit saddened to hear that.

His face went cold for a moment. "I suppose I would. I'm an ambitious man."

Lucy turned away and looked out her window. First she was relieved to find out that he was not actually engaged, then hearing this a second later made her depressed again. The executives placed their hopes in Loke, and he was great at his job. For him, marriage was another tool for work.

Did this mean he was the sort of man who had no interest in romance? Had the thrill of falling in love faded over time for him?

Lucy had nothing to say; it was his business alone. The atmosphere between them grew thicker, and it seemed to make Loke anxious. Suddenly, he pulled over to the side of the road and turned in his seat to fully face Lucy.

"Look, you're young so I'm sure the dreams of finding true love and marrying a soul-mate are still bright goals in your life. Me? I'm too old to get excited about falling in love."

It was like he read her mind, and her heart skipped a beat. "I … I don't think age matters when it comes to love."

He laughed in a self-deprecating way. "If I had a soul-mate, I would have found that person by now. The only love I've known, though, is my work. It would take one peculiar woman to fall in love with me."

"I don't think that's true," Lucy muttered.

An eyebrow arched up from the glasses in curiosity. "No?"

She could hardly stop the words. "I'm sure there are lots of women who want the chance to love you."

He stared at her, and Lucy nervously squeezed her fists in her lap, stunned that she had said that out loud. Loke was shrewed, he likely knew precisely what she meant by that. While Lucy felt embarrassed, Loke leaned toward her.

"Are you talking in general, or … is that how _you_ feel?" he asked, slightly playful, but also on edge.

Lucy felt her heart beating in her throat and gulped hard. His eyes were so keen on her, she could not meet them. He leaned in even closer, waiting for her to answer. Soon, he was so close that she could feel his breath on her skin.

It was like an alarm was going off in her head, warning her not to let him come closer.

Yet, that fateful night they had shared once again filled her mind.

…

 _"Mmm…"_

 _He dragged his warm lips along her skin. She knew her body should be cold and wet from the rain; instead, it was full of heat and pleasure … full of him._

 _"Mr. Leo."_

 _She slowly reached her hand out, and his fingers gently entwined with hers. She opened her eyes, and although hazy with alcohol, she saw his naked body hovering above her with those green eyes staring down, so intense and filled with passion._

…

She knew they shouldn't, but … she could not stop herself.

There was the same flicker of passion in Loke's eyes now as he looked at her. Unable to control herself, she leaned forward. Her lips brushed against his. She meant it to be quick, but the temptation was too great to resist. Lucy leaned in more and allowed herself to stop thinking, to just feel and enjoy it.

Although it felt like this was just another wild dream, the touch of his lips was real, and so was the sweet rush of pleasure surging through her body. Her head was spinning as her pulse raced. Loke pulled back for a moment, his eyes worried as they looked at her, but Lucy leaned forward to fall back into his kiss.

' _This is Mr. Leo, my boss!_ '

Her brain was not listening to that frantic voice in her mind. Her lips parted, she tasted him conquering her mouth, and Lucy lost what little self-possession she had left. She was not sure where this was going, she did not know what would happen after this, and she refused to listen to her rational side.

Although her heart was thrown into confusion, her body answered every one of Loke's kisses and touches as if it already knew. Of course, maybe it did. Maybe her body remembered what her brain had forgotten in the wake of a hangover.

As their breaths quickened and their hands slid over clothes and skin, all she heard was the rain tapping on the roof of the car and the windshield wipers flicking away droplets. She got lost in his arms, his kiss, his heat, and the illusion of their hearts beating as one.

Maybe it was yet another mistake, but she completely surrendered to _the Lion_.


	10. From the Rain into the Shower

Chapter 10

 **From the Rain into the Shower**

One minute, they were making out heavily in Loke's sports car. Then Lucy was breathless, fixing her clothes, and he was driving like a wildcat chasing its prey, speeding along wet roads. Before Lucy's heart had time to slow down, the engine was off, Loke opened the door for her, his arm was around her shoulder, and they were walking through the front door of a luxury high-rise apartment.

They went into an elevator, and he practically attacked her right there. Or maybe she was the one who attacked him. It was hard to tell anymore who was hunter and who was prey. She had his tie in her hand, pulling him forward, and he had her pinned to the wall, his hips already making motions as if ready to take her right there.

As soon as the doors opened again, they stopped and pulled apart with naughty smiles at one another. Loke grabbed her hand to yank her forward to an apartment. He unlocked the door, but at that point he let go of her hand and took a few steps away. At least here, he would not just yank her inside. It had to be her choice.

"Please come in," he offered, being a gentleman at last.

Lucy stepped past the threshold and looked around. A part of her was in awe to see the place where Loke lived. He closed the door and moved to embrace her, but he paused at feeling her skin.

"You're freezing." A sensual smile came to his lips. "Come with me."

Lucy lost her sense of reality. Was it a dream? No, yet it seemed impossible to believe that she was here, in his apartment, and he was guiding her with a hungry look in his eyes.

Loke took her hand and pulled her along to a large bathroom. Once she was inside, he closed the door behind them and turned the shower on. Lucy's mind went into a panic.

' _Oh God, this is bad. We all know where this leads to next. I can't … I need to think. What am I doing here? I should go. He's my boss. He's looking into a fiancée. I'm a nobody compared to him. He's worlds above me._ '

The hot water made a relaxing sound as it flowed from the shower head. Loke removed his suit coat and vest, then turned to her. His hair was sticking up a little from where Lucy's hands had clutched at his scalp while they were making out. He looked disheveled, wild, sexy, a Lion ready to take his Lioness.

Lucy felt her blouse sticking to her skin due to the steam filling the room. Slowly, wordlessly, Loke reached for the buttons of her shirt. She watched, not stopped him, not wanting to ever stop. She realized he was gazing at her, maybe looking for the slightest hesitation, the faintest hint that she did not want this.

She did. Dear God, she did!

She was not just passively letting him do what he pleased, though. She sensed keenly that he was reading her. She was the one instructing him. With sighs, with twists of her body, with subtle looks, she was the boss here, and he was obeying her wishes.

Neither said a word as he undressed her with the patience of a sculptor working on a masterpiece.

' _Why is he doing this? Before, on that night, he said it was because he thought I looked cute at the bar. But now … why?_ '

Maybe he really was reading her so closely, because just then he finished the last buttoned and slid his hands over her skin to push the blouse off.

"I just want you," he whispered, and his lips began to flutter over her bare shoulders. He reached back, and whereas the blouse came off with slow, methodical movements, here it took one quick flick, and then the bra was practically torn from her. She briefly saw it flying through the air.

As Lucy felt Loke's fingers caressing her breasts, she finally let out a shivering moan.

"Nngh…"

She looked up. He had taken his fogged-up glasses off, and she saw his green eyes, narrow, predatory, devouring her as he watched every expression she made. As she gasped again, a smile of amusement and awe lit up his face. He leaned in, their lips pressed together, and his arms wrapped around her in a sensual embrace.

As he pulled back, Lucy let out a whine, already wanting more. Oh, she _knew_ she wanted more!

Loke opened his mouth, maybe he was saying something, but it was too quiet for her. She heard nothing but the loud hiss of the shower. He ran his hands over her body again, admiring it. Lucy had enough. She wanted to touch him as well. She grabbed his tie and yanked it off, and her eyes held a silent command.

 _Undress!_

Her … commanding her boss! There was a thrill to it.

He practically tore his fine shirt off, she shimmied out of her skirt and pantyhose, he undid his belt and zipper, and Lucy yanked his pants and boxers down in one demanding pull. Oh, she wanted to play _there_ right now, but he took her chin to pull her up before she could begin. She rose obediently, and he pressed her backward into the shower. Their naked bodies thrummed together as the hot water poured down on their heads.

"Lucy," he groaned as they both gave way to passion.

The chill of the rain turned to heat from the shower and from his hands. As he pressed up against her, she felt his excitement, his lust, and it teased her. He could have angled differently to pierce her, she could have hiked her leg up and allowed him in, but they were in no rush. He just needed to feel her heat, and she needed to feel his touch.

They kissed deeply, messily, until he leaned over, attacking first her neck, along her shoulder, and down to her breasts. Lucy's fingers clung to him, scratching into his back, as Loke sucked up a nipple. He teased her, twisted with his fingers, licked and suckled, until she felt ready to explode. Right as she was prepared to beg, his hand went down, and two fingers plunged into her. He knew precisely where to stroke inside, and Lucy howled as her body quivered.

She could not believe that was all it took. She was so wound up, needing it so desperately, and especially since it was him. She could not fool herself; as much as she had said to herself that she would put that one-night stand behind her, there were just enough memories to make her touch herself late at night with the image of Loke in that hotel room thrusting into her with need.

She admired him … but now she desired him.

"So soon?" he asked in a teasing voice. He began to pull his fingers back.

"No." Lucy grabbed his wrist to hold him still. "Not yet."

Loke snarled with lust. "Was it too quick? Do you want me to touch you more?"

She blushed that he was making her admit to it, but she nodded.

"You are such a tease," he muttered, and his fingers moved in and out of her again.

"You're … _nngh_ … one to talk."

His mouth alternated, sometimes down on her breasts, sometimes on her mouth, sometimes nuzzling into her neck and shoulder, where she felt teeth but never anything painful. It was more like playful nips from a cat than the chomp of a predator. One hand twisted and tugged at her nipple while the other stroked inside, rubbing right where she needed it, over and over.

"Breasts … more," she pleaded, tightening up with desperate need.

He obeyed happily, and when his teeth lightly scraped along her already swollen nipple, Lucy felt her muscles spasming deep inside.

"Oh _God_!" she howled, and her head threw back as her legs nearly gave way.

"Dammit, I'm not waiting," Loke growled. He pulled his fingers out, grabbed her leg, and pulled it up, steadying her with his other hand so she could stand on one leg. "Please tell me you want it."

"Yes!" she cried out.

Her consent was all he needed, and he thrust in. Lucy gasped as she was pinned to the wall by powerful hips. He was wide, much longer than her previous boyfriends, filling her until she felt like she could not take more.

"You are such a perfect fit," Loke said, and he pressed all the way in. "Damn, even better now. You're tighter than before."

Than before? It vaguely dawned on Lucy, this was their second time. She still did not fully remember her first time with him; however, this time around she was responsive and aware, although he was thrusting into her so fast and hard, she felt like passing out.

"Dammit, a condom!" He pulled out and began to turn to go, but Lucy grabbed him. He almost stumbled on the wet tiles, but he turned back to her. "What? We need one, right?"

"Let me…" She felt too embarrassed to say it outright, but she dropped to her knees to show what she meant.

"Oh fuck," Loke groaned.

She was stunned to hear him cuss like that. She had always thought he was so refined, but even someone like him could curse so strongly.

Loke hesitated, almost looking scared, but he did not back away. He caressed her cheek and combed wet hair out of her way.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded coyly. "If you want it," she added, giving him a peck on the tip.

"I would be a fool to tell you no," he said, sounding breathless already.

As her mouth wrapped around him and her hand stroked what could not fit, Loke smoothed her hair back and kept the water out of her eyes. She was pretty certain they had _not_ done this last time, especially with how hesitant Loke seemed to be about allowing it. Was it not something he particularly liked?

"Oh God, Lucy, that's so good," he moaned.

Nope, more like something he knew he was weak at.

"Can you stroke faster?"

She hummed, as if telling him she _could_ , but she did not _want to_ yet.

"Tease," he whispered in complaint and awe.

Lucy took her time, wanting to taste him, wanting to remember all of this. She felt his fingers clutching, almost pulling her hair. She reached around to feel his butt, gave it a squeeze, and pulled him in to be even deeper.

"Oh … _God_ , Lucy!"

She listened to every sharp suck of air, every groan, every nearly-silent curse. She gazed up along the whole length of his body, like standing at the base of a grand skyscraper and gazing toward the highest level. He was tall and lean and so perfect in her eyes.

Finally, her languid pace was too much. "Lucy, please! I don't want to hurt your throat."

He was holding back. Lucy decided she could give him what he wanted. Her mouth bobbed faster and her hand stroked all the way to the base and back up, faster, deeper. Although he was trying to hold himself back for her sake, as she heard his breathing becoming frantic, she felt his hips thrusting on their own.

"Shit … Lucy … now!"

It was a warning, but she wanted this part as well. She thrust her mouth down deeper, and Loke let out a roar. She tasted it filling her mouth so full, it dripped out and down her chin. She glanced up and saw his face in that moment of ecstasy, strained from the intensity, his mouth dropped open as he tried to catch his breath.

"Sweet heavens, you're good at that," he muttered.

Smugly, Lucy pulled back and discreetly spit to the side, letting the shower water wash it away. Loke had both hands on the wall, arms straight out, holding himself up as he tried to recover. Lucy stood up, squeezing between his arms, and smiled at him with flushed cheeks. Loke finally opened his eyes to gaze upon her.

"Don't you dare forget a moment of this night," he warned, still weary yet looking ready to do more at any moment.

"Not a chance," she said. She licked her lips sensually, ready for all he could give her, hungry for it, wanting him to satisfy her in every way.


	11. The Scoundrel

Chapter 11

 **The Scoundrel**

It was dark, and the pillow under her head was as soft as a cloud. Lucy woke to the sound of something clinking against glass and opened her heavy eyelids. Loke was stargazing in a nook by the window beside the bed, a glass of some amber liquor in his hand. The moonlight gleamed on his naked, ivory skin. He glanced over to Lucy as she stirred.

"Did I wake you?"

Lucy looked at the clock and saw it was past two in the morning. They had made love … she lost count of how many times. The shower, in this bed at least twice, a chair was involved, and on top of the sink when she thought to wash up a bit afterward. He could drive her to heaven over and over. Oh, he was skilled, all right! His cock, his hands, his mouth … it was like he wanted to do it in every way possible while he had her.

At last, they both wore each other out. He wrapped her up in his arms, nuzzled into her golden hair, and in the deepest bodily exhaustion she had ever felt before, Lucy fell asleep with her head on Loke's chest. His arms made her feel safe.

Now, she could close her eyes and recall what his breath felt like as his lips were all over her body. Exhausted as she was, just the memory of it gave her shivers of pleasure.

She stretched languidly on the mattress and pulled the sheets around her to hide her naked body. She kept gazing at Loke, impressing this sight of him in her memory. He realized she was looking at him and gave a silent chuckle.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten tonight as well."

She glowered, feeling shy and a little bit of regret. For her, tonight had felt fantastical and new. For him, it was a second night. Before she could feel too sad about the fact that she still did not remember everything about their first night together, Loke held a cup of water out to her. Perhaps he was teasing her, but his actions were as considerate as ever.

"Thank you," Lucy said, gladly drinking to quench her parched throat. She had been moaning so much…

"It'd be nice if you did remember tonight," he said, still teasing her lightly.

Lucy pouted and turned away. "I remember nothing."

"Oh really? Do I need to wake your body up again?"

She gasped that he could even want yet _another_ round, and he chuckled.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you've thoroughly worn me out. You'll have to wait until morning."

"Tease," she huffed.

"Yep!"

He drank from his tumbler, letting the ice cubes clink together. Lucy took that as a cue to drink as well. She really was thirsty. They were so into each other, sweating so much, she felt parched. She could hardly say she remembered nothing. Even now, the heat of his body was replaying over and over in her mind. If she had to wait until morning, it would be well worth the wait, but she had to be honest—she _knew_ her thighs were going to be hurting for days.

She finished the cup and turned over in bed to face Loke. She finally saw the bottle of liquor beside him. "You have brandy at home, too?"

He lowered the cup. "Hm?"

"You always drink brandy at the bar."

Loke looked happy that she remembered. "Brandy is what I like, I guess."

"Do you always drink alone?"

He raised an eyebrow. Lucy had not meant anything by that question, but once it was out, things got a little awkward. He smiled at her, like he could read her mind.

"I suppose I drink alone more often than I drink socially. This brandy, I drink casually when I'm home. It helps me to relax after a long, stressful day, or slows my brain down when I'm thinking too much."

Had he had a bad day at work? Was that why he was there so late? Or was he thinking too much about something else?

"I have another, a special bottle of brandy, here at home."

"Oh? Special?"

"A gift from an important man in my life, and it's been aging for many years, longer than you've been alive. I figure I'll open it when I have something to celebrate." He turned his face to look out the window, and a street light lit his profile. Lucy could hear the sound of rain tapping the glass. "It rained hard like this _that_ night, too."

Lucy realized he was right. She recalled a little about being in that hotel room, her clothes soaked.

"You and I, we meet on rainy days."

Maybe rain was lucky for her. Her heart began to race as she watched him looking out at the city skyline. She had always seen him as her kind boss, but in that moment, she saw Loke the man. Not a Lion, but just a man, sated in his desires, the softness of sexual afterglow still in his eyes and lips. Lucy barely remembered that first night, but maybe he wore this expression then, too.

He finished his drink, set it down, slid under the sheets, and pulled them to cover himself, thereby yanking them away from around her body where she was hiding. She tried to pull the sheet back around her breasts, but he caressed her shoulder, showing her that modesty and bashfulness at this point were pointless. He had seen everything in detail already. They both settled down into the mattress, and he languidly played with her hair.

"Do you remember anything about that night?" he asked with a hint of sadness.

Lucy frowned and looked aside. "Only bits and pieces." Even still, all she could recall were snapshots of what happened. However, as he caressed her hair, a memory came back to her. He had stroked her hair lovingly like this that night, too. "You did this."

"Yes, I did," he whispered. "Your hair is very soft. I can't help but want to play with it."

"What are you, a cat?"

He laughed and licked her cheek. "Maybe. Are you a cat person?"

"I own a dog."

"That's a shame."

"I … I like cats, though."

"Do you now?" he said in amusement.

She realized, now it was no longer a _one-night stand_ , a drunken mistake she could dismiss. This time, they had not been drinking, and they had no excuses to hide behind. They made love … because they wanted to!

But a part of her still realized that Loke was considering marriage for the sake of a promotion. What would make someone like that sleep with another woman? Lucy couldn't even imagine it. Was this just for fun, or was it serious?

She had made the decision to sleep with him, knowing he was considering such a thing, so she could not bring herself to ask why _he_ would do it. Likely, it was for the same reason as her: because she desperately wanted it.

The dreamy bliss of a moment ago faded off. Lucy racked her brain, trying to find a logical answer that she knew did not exist.

He was introduced to someone he might marry. Now here they were, skin pressed against skin. He had wanted her tonight, despite the fact that he was looking into an engagement. He knew how Lucy felt about him, her drunken confession, telling him 'I love you.' He made unforgettable love to her anyway, without feeling the least bit guilty about it.

If he felt the same way as her, wouldn't he never have agreed to even look into get married to someone else? If he did not feel the same way, was he using her emotions for him to get what he wanted? Here she was, a young woman in love with him, and he was willing to have sex with her despite being set up on matchmakings. Did he really, truly, no longer care about love? Was he fine with marrying for a promotion while fulfilling his desires on the side?

That seemed like the most likely answer.

"You're sneaky," she grumbled.

His fingers were still combing her blond hair. "Hmm?"

"I didn't think you were, but you're a sneaky scoundrel."

He just smiled without saying anything. Still, Lucy was pretty sure he knew what she meant.

"Sneaky. I guess I am," Loke mused. He rolled over, hovering over her, and softly kissed her lips. "But," he added, "I wouldn't have slept with you if I didn't want to."

"You're still a scoundrel," she said, trying to chide him, but she knew he was amused by her name-calling. She was annoyed that he could look so cool and composed, whereas her heart was in chaos.

He kissed her again, then deeper, until Lucy could taste the brandy in his mouth, sharp, powerful, yet oddly sweet. Much like Loke himself. She found her arms moving, wrapping around him, pulling him in closer as the fire inside her reignited. Loke's hand slid along her bare skin, and Lucy moaned with pleasure.

"The rain's not quitting," he noted, moving his body to be even closer to hers.

It was as if they were allowed to make love so long as the rain kept tapping on the window. Lucy wished it would never stop. As her legs spread and Loke's hips thrust up against her yet again, she wanted the rain to last forever.


	12. Kinks and Cafeteria Chat

Chapter 12

 **Kinks and Cafeteria Chat**

An alarm went off, arms released her, leaving her cold, and the beeping noise was smacked off. Then those arms were around her again, and Lucy hummed in happiness at the warmth.

"Time to wake up."

She groaned. Where was the snooze button? She usually hit the snooze five of six times before actually getting up.

"Lucy."

There were warm hands on her breasts, soft and hot flutters along her skin, but she still wanted to sleep. Yet her body rolled onto her back, unconsciously wanting more of those hands and lips.

"If you're going to be stubborn and stay in bed, I'll wake you up _my way_."

"Snooze," she muttered, not ready to wake up yet.

"I dare you to sleep through this."

Wet heat was on her breast, gently sucking her nipple. Her back arched, but she did not want to wake up, not yet. Then the heat was on her other breast, and fingers plucked at the one now wet.

"Ahh!"

"Are you awake?"

"Nuh-uh," she muttered, keeping her eyes closed. Maybe it was a wonderful dream.

A hand went down, resting on her lower belly, and she felt a finger sneak between her thighs, toying with the hood of her clit. That almost woke her fully, but her brain still struggled.

"You're a stubborn one," the voice said in amusement. The finger slipped further, and Lucy spread her legs, sleepy but knowing that whatever this feeling was, she wanted more. A finger carefully dipped inside her. "God, how are you this wet so early in the morning?"

Her body squirmed on its own. She just wanted to sleep. Whatever her body was doing, she wanted it to finish so she could get ten more minutes of rest. Or was this actually a dream? Yes, that must be it. Why else would her boss be touching her this way? A dream, surely. It must be yet another one of those sensual dreams just before waking up that left her flustered in the morning.

"Lucy, please wake up enough to say this is okay."

"Okay," she muttered.

"Are you just pretending to be asleep?"

"Sure," she mumbled. What was he asking? Sleep? "I'mmasleep," she muttered.

"You're adorable."

Someone was moving her body. It felt cold, blankets were pulled away, and she groaned in displeasure. Her legs were pulled apart, but it was chilly on her sore thighs. Then heat hovered over her, and that was nicer. Something thick and warm rubbed across where she still felt an ache from overuse, and yet a longing to be used more.

"Is this your little kink? Sleep sex?"

She hummed a chuckle. Kink? Hah! That was rich, her having a kink. But sleep? Yes, sleep sounded good.

"Do you want it, Lucy?"

"Mmmm!" She did. Whatever this was, her body knew she wanted it, and just like this: half-asleep and trapped somewhere between dreams and reality.

Then that thick something changed direction, and she felt it slide inside of her. Pressure, an ache, fullness. Lucy briefly opened her eyes. Loke! It wasn't a dream? Oh, but it was the best sort of dream. Loke, here, in her bed. Wait, not her bed. His bed? Loke! She had admired him, and she had to confess, _desired_ him for so long. Now he was with her, inside her, in bed together. Yes, this was the best sort of dream in the world.

"Oh? Did that wake you up?" he asked teasingly.

She slammed her eyes shut. "Nope."

"I see," he said in amusement. "That's too bad. Let's see if I can make love to you so gently, my Sleeping Beauty doesn't wake up."

Her brain was still weary and in a fog, but she definitely felt it. Loke was slow, gentle, gliding in and out so smoothly, she probably could have fallen asleep. It felt so warm, so wonderful. How could he be this skilled? He really did take his time, his hips savoring a slow rocking, like the undulations of a boat in a harbor. It rocked her gently for minutes, so many minutes, until her brain slipped.

A dream? Real? Reality turning into a dream? Why were they on a beach now? A beach, waves of pleasure rocking her, making love … on a bed? That made no sense, but she didn't care. Making love on a bed on a boat on the beach. Dreams were so strange, but she enjoyed this dream. Loke was with her, and he was gliding inside of her so, so slowly. She never wanted the dream to end.

"Hey, I think you actually fell asleep on me. I'm almost offended."

She had, just for a second there. Jolting back into half-wakefulness, she felt her body _yearning_. Yearning for sleep, for sex, for pleasure, for a release, for eternity, for love.

"Don't stop," she muttered.

"Oh? Am I making a wet dream for you? That's sort of hot in a way."

Lucy moaned. Her dream man was talking, but all she wanted was love and sleep and warmth.

"You'll have to tell me what you're dreaming about. Hopefully not some other man."

"Nnngh! Mister Leo."

"It's weird to hear you call me _Mister Leo_ in bed. Or are you dreaming we're in my office?"

It was like he was an incubus and affecting her dreams. The beach and boat were gone, and instead it was the office with leather couches and a large wooden desk. She was on that desk, splayed out with her legs facing the broad window, as if all of Magnolia could watch her being pleasured if only they could get as high up as this tower of glass and steel. Loke was in his suit, and he was taking her, right there, in the middle of Fairy Tail.

"Ahhh!" Her body reacted strongly to that dream.

"Where are you?" he asked as he thrust a little faster, finally getting more urgent.

"Desk," she muttered.

"Oh fuck, the desk?" He slammed a little harder, and she grumbled in displeasure. "You naughty employee."

Her body was buzzing. She knew it was more than a dream, but she wanted to stay in the office, getting fucked on her boss's desk.

"Mr. Leo!"

"Do you want me to call you _Miss Heartfilia_?"

Her body jolted. She nearly fully woke up with that, but she slammed her eyes shut again. The office! She wanted to stay in the office just a little longer, being a naughty employee, a love affair with her boss. Maybe that blond secretary was just outside the door. Maybe the whole team was about to be in this room, and it was just them, a quick fuck before getting down to business.

"You must have stayed late again, huh? Maybe you stayed just to have time with me."

"Ahh!" Again, he affected her dream. It wasn't a quick fuck before a team meeting, but late at night, everyone had gone home, it was just them and they were wildly using his desk in ways no one would ever imagine.

"Do you want me to fuck you on my desk, Miss Heartfilia?"

"Yes!" she moaned. He was her boss! This was illicit! And damn, did she love it!

The dream was so confusing now. Office, bed, a boat, the beach, Loke naked, Loke in a suit, morning sunlight, cityscape nightlights.

"My kinky employee."

Her body tensed, and she heard him gasp.

"Oh damn, Lucy! So tight. Damn!"

She cried out as reality and fantasy both exploded. Electricity, jolts, aches, sizzling, exhaustion, warmth, sleepiness. She floated down, but still she felt the thrusting continue. She drifted, but the dream went on, Mister Leo in his office, in a suit, madly taking her on his desk.

Then things stopped, she heard grunts, felt pulses, and she opened her eyes. Dreams were nice, but seeing him for real in the midst of his orgasm … no dream could capture that properly. She saw the grimace of ecstasy sink into a slack jaw of instant weariness. She slammed her eyes shut as he sank and panted to recover.

"You sneaky little vixen. I saw you watching me."

He pulled out, and that fullness that felt so warm inside was gone, sucking her straight back into the waking world. The dream was definitely over. She could open her eyes and soak in the glow of his naked body shimmering with sweat in the morning sun.

"We should discuss any little kinks you have beforehand," Loke said as he pulled a condom off and tied the end. "Was that really okay with you?"

She smirked and shook her head admonishingly. "You're just now wondering that?"

"I asked for permission."

"I was asleep."

"Liar," he chuckled.

She sat up and stretched, knowing full well how sensual she must look doing that. "You have a horrible habit of making love to women when they're not in their full mind."

"Hey, our first time, I didn't know you were _that_ drunk."

"But you knew I had a lot to drink."

He opened his mouth to refute that, but she bopped him on the nose.

"No more regrets about that night. We agreed to that."

He still looked contrite. "But what I did really was wrong."

"It was." Lucy shrugged coyly. "Maybe you're right and I have a slight kink to that sort of thing."

His eyebrows raised in astonishment, and then he chuckled while shaking his head. "You really are a vixen."

"And you're a scoundrel."

"Fine. Now, no more snooze alarm. Into the shower. We have work."

"Mmm, don't wanna," she said with a sleepy pout.

"Don't make me be your boss and order you."

She glanced up with a smirk. "Maybe I'd like that."

He leaned forward, right up into her face, and in his _boss voice_ , he said, "Get into the shower with me, Miss Heartfilia."

Lucy shivered. Yep, this was a kink. God, she was awful, but Loke seemed to be thoroughly amused. She finally got up and followed Loke into the bathroom to shower together.

* * *

After a quick breakfast of coffee and a muffin, Loke drove Lucy home so she could feed poor Plue and change clothes. Then he drove both of them to work. She went in first, and he waited a while before leaving the car. She caught sight of him on his way to his office, but she tried to focus on her computer.

The morning trudged on with banalities, and the calmer she grew, the harder it was to believe that the previous night really happened. Her first night with Loke was still hazy, but thanks to some things Loke said and fragments of memories, she knew it was not a dream. But last night! Last night, she remembered. What they did in the bathroom, in the bed, on a chair, on the sink…

"I have to work," she said to herself. The recollection of passion made her cheeks grow flushed. What she said, how she acted, her little kink, it was all too much now that she was actually at work and around people. She shook her head to clear out the memories of sensual moans and focused on her project.

At noon, she went to the cafeteria like usual and met up with Levy and Cana. However, she just could not get into the conversation.

Cana was talked about her _boy_ again. "So then, he said we should go on a date. We haven't done that in ages."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Levy asked, always a little in awe that Cana could live such a risky, sensual life.

"Nah. Apparently, his wife is going to be at her parents' that day."

"I see," Lucy muttered.

It was Tuesday, and at three o'clock there was going to be another meeting for Team Leo. Lucy was lost in thoughts of how to act in the meeting. How was she supposed to face him now, with the ache still tingling between her thighs? She would have to stand there with the team in front of his desk and give away no hints.

The desk! Oh damn, why did she have that dream about his desk? And she even told him about it. He knew her secret little desire. Would he act on it? Would he hold her later, splay her out on his desk, take her right there in her skirt and him wearing a suit and tie…

"Hey!"

Cana was waving her hand in front of Lucy's face, but she just now realized it. "Huh? What?"

"Lucy?" Levy also looked a bit concerned. "Is it just me, or do you seem really fidgety today?"

Without realizing it, Lucy's eyes had been darting around the cafeteria, constantly on the lookout for Loke. Both Levy and Cana were eying her suspiciously.

"When you're restless, there's usually a reason," Levy said, still looking worried.

Lucy moaned silently that Levy was so perceptive. Then again, Lucy realized she had _never_ seen Loke in the cafeteria. She could relax here.

Just as she let her shoulders sag a bit, the room went into a loud buzz of excitement. All three of them turned to the surging noise and saw Loke trying to get through the cafeteria entrance, only to get blocked by eager employees.

Cana tipped back her can of beer. "Hey, isn't that Mr. Leo?"

"Yeah, looks like it," Levy said, rising up from her seat to get a better view since she was so short.

Lucy was in a panic. ' _What? Why?_ '

"My boy says he usually goes to a café near here. Maybe the café is closed today."

' _Closed? What sort of twisted coincidence is that? Why today of all days?_ '

Lucy hunched over her lunch and forced herself not to look at him, like a child thinking that if she could not see the monster, the monster could not see her. Just as Lucy heard his shoes tapping past right behind her, Cana turned up all the charm with her professional-grade smile and welcoming voice.

"Mr. Leo, hello. Are you looking for a seat? There a free one here right next to Lucy."

Lucy jolted up, wanting to scream at her to shut up. However, now Loke was inches away from her and looking down. Lucy looked up, and their eyes met.

"Sorry," Cana whispered with a sly wink. "I want to know what my boy's up to today. Mr. Leo would know, so I can casually ask him."

Seriously? A reason like that? To find out the schedule of her office affair lover? _That_ was why she asked him to sit at their table?

Meanwhile, Loke pulled out the chair beside Lucy's. "Thanks for the seat," he said with his pleasant yet professional smile. "Ms. Heartfilia, hello."

"H-Hi," Lucy eked out.

"And … Ms. McGarden, right?"

Levy gasped that he knew her name. "Y-yes! Good afternoon, Mr. Leo. Allow me to get you the daily lunch special. It's what I have, and it's good."

"That would be wonderful." He handed her a prepaid lunch card he had in his breast pocket, and Levy bolted to the food counter as if she needed to escape. Loke looked around the room like a tourist. "This place is packed. I forgot just how crowded it could get in here." A minute later, Levy arrived with a tray of food. "Ah, thank you, Ms. McGarden. Do you three always eat here?"

Cana answered for them. "We sometimes go out for lunch, but basically, yeah. It's cheap and a quick walk back to work."

Loke chuckled. "You're all so passionate about your jobs."

"Of course we are," Cana said. "Everyone in Fairy Tail loves the work here."

Lucy was so relieved Cana was there with her. She would not know what to say if it was just her and him.

"So, Ms. Heartfilia," Loke said as he began to eat, "how is the proposal coming along?"

Work! She could talk about work easily enough. "I plan to submit it before the meeting today."

"Wonderful! I look forward to seeing your ideas."

As he ate, he asked Levy about the project she was working on for a commercial for the post office, and Cana nudged him enough so she learned the schedule of the man she was having an affair with.

Finally, Loke dabbed a napkin to his lips and checked his watch. "This time already? I should get going."

"So soon?" Cana asked in disappointment.

"Don't worry. Lunch isn't over yet. You three should take your time. I have a meeting."

"You live such a full and busy life, Mr. Leo," Cana said with a sigh.

"That I do. Thanks for having me. Ms. Heartfilia, I'll see you at three for the team meeting."

"Y-yes, sir!"

With a smile and a tip of his head, he left the table and strode out of the cafeteria. Lucy watched him go, and a part of her felt empty, disappointed. He had barely even looked at her through the entire meal. Last night had been so passionate, and today … he was her boss. Nothing more.

Levy dreamily rested her cheek on her hand. "Man, even his smile is different from the average guy."

"Well, I'm happy," Cana said decisively, guzzling the last of her beer. "I know what my man is up to, and that'll make meeting him tonight easily."

"That's good," Lucy said absently. She outwardly acted like nothing strange had happened, while inside she tried to quiet her thumping heart.

Meeting him like this with a crowd around was stressful enough. How in the world was she supposed to act during the team meeting?


	13. The Scoundrel Boss

Chapter 13

 **The Scoundrel Boss**

At three o'clock, it was time for their weekly meeting. When Lucy arrived, Freed and Gray were already there, and Natsu rushed in just seconds later. Natsu was immediately by Lucy's side before she had a chance to feel awkward, and Loke was in a stern discussion with Freed, so she was unable to even fully see him with his face pointed toward the window. She helped herself to some tea to calm down and took a seat on the couch, with Natsu plopping down right beside her.

Finally, whatever was going on with Freed ended. Loke walked over to the low table with a tea setting surrounded by chairs and couches. He called the meeting to order, and with an official tone he said Lucy was to go first. She passed around the printouts of her new proposal, and Gray, Natsu, Freed, and Loke looked over them.

"Great job, Lucy," Natsu said cheerfully. "It looks a lot better."

"I concur," said Freed. "Shall we go with this?"

"No," Loke said, his face pinched in concern. "It's lacking in impact."

Gray hummed in agreement as he also looked at the proposal with a critical expression. "We're competing, so there should be more edge to it."

Natsu pouted that they were dismissing the idea. "Well, I like that it's about the coaches and people who help train the athletes."

"It's a different angle," Gray said, nodding as he smiled slightly. "Much more personal. This finally interests me on an emotional level."

"Agreed," said Loke. "Choosing Lucy for this was the right decision."

Her cheeks burned at the high praise. "Thank you."

She could hardly help but see that Loke played the part of her boss well. His expression and words never gave away their secret. Meanwhile, Lucy was so nervous that the others might find out, she felt like her heart might explode. It was actually impressive that Loke could be so normal after last night. Lucy was both a little jealous and a little spiteful that he could pull it off so effortlessly. Did he have experience in hiding relationships?

Loke looked up at her and struck the proposal with his palm. "All right, consider this the springboard. Work off of this, but take the idea a little further. More impact, more heart."

"You got it," she said with energy.

The meeting continued into talks about finances and filming equipment. Lucy was relieved that she had the basis of a proposal now. When the meeting ended, Natsu gave a big stretch and smiled.

"I can't wait for us to make it through this presentation and celebrate. Eat good food and drink good booze."

Gray chuckled and slapped him on the back. "Now that sounds like a plan."

"A drink, huh?" said Loke. "You know, we haven't gone out as a team yet."

Natsu turned to Loke, like he was just waiting for someone to say that. "I can find a good place for us."

"Sounds great," Loke declared. "Is everyone okay with drinks tonight?"

"It's fine," Freed said a bit stiffly.

"S-sure," Lucy piped in.

Going out with the team! While Gray, Natsu, and Freed discussed places to eat, Lucy let her gaze slip over to Loke, only to find him glancing at her. It used to be she could simply say "he inspires me" to explain this feeling she had around him, but now she did not know what to call it.

Her heart knew, but her brain refused to acknowledge it.

Although he said absolutely nothing about their relationship, she got the sense that he enjoyed watching her reactions every time he addressed her in front of the team. Was he teasing her? She had no idea if it was that, or if she was just over-thinking everything.

The meeting ended and the team split in high spirits. Lucy expected Loke to hold her back to discuss her proposal (and maybe more) but he said nothing. She walked out of that room as if nothing happened last night. It was both a relief and a slight disappointment. She returned to her desk and continued her work like usual.

After an hour, she saw Loke walking through her department. He stopped to talk with a few of the managers, then went straight to her desk. She gulped but managed to smile.

"Hello, Mr. Leo," she greeted, while the workers around her just about melted at seeing him.

"I was passing by and figured I'd let you know, the team will be leaving together at six o'clock for drinks."

"I look forward to it, sir," she said cheerfully.

He knocked on her desk with a a bright grin and a gleam in his eyes. Then after a slight pause to gaze at her, he continued on with a enigmatic smirk.

As soon as he was gone, her coworker Bisca swirled around the corner of her cubicle. "Oh my gosh, Lucy! Drinks with Mr. Leo? You're so lucky!"

"O-oh! It's just a team outing," she said dismissively, although she felt her cheeks aflame.

"Still, it's dinner with Mr. Leo. I'm married, and even I would be flustered at that." Bisca chuckled. "Maybe something _good_ will happen."

"Whoa, no way, no way!" she said quickly, waving her hand at the idea. "It'll be the whole team there."

Bisca gave her a wink. "Well, one can daydream."

"Ladies!" a stern voice from their manager called out. Bisca turned back into her own cubicle to finish typing, and Lucy faced her computer monitor.

She let out a silent sigh. It seemed like such a minor thing for him to tell her in person. Was he teasing her once again? Although he said he was just passing through, he also seemed amused by her bashfulness.

Was he going out of his way to see her? Then again, avoiding her would be suspicious. He had to keep up appearances. They needed to work together, and obviously they could not talk about _that night_ while at work.

Suddenly, her fingers stopped typing.

Wait … _that night_? Which night? It was no longer just one night, a drunken mistake.

Bisca looked over. "Lucy, are you okay? Does your head hurt?"

"Huh?" Lucy asked, rising up from a slouch.

"You suddenly put your hands on the head and moaned. Maybe you should see Dr. Capricorn."

"Oh…" She just then realized that she had been sitting in front of her computer with her head in her hands for quite a few minutes. Lucy quickly sat up straight and tried to pass it off like it was nothing, when the phone by her desk rang. She looked down and saw that it was Loke's extension.

Lucy collected herself so no one would notice anything was off, then picked up the receiver.

"Lucy Heartfilia, Creative Department, speaking." She answered that way a few times a day, yet this time it came out in a trembling whisper. She heard chuckling on the line.

"Don't you think you sound a little suspicious?"

Lucy gasped softly. Did she really sound that way?

"You're on my team. It isn't strange for me to be calling your work line, or stopping by your desk."

She knew he was right, but _still_. She inhaled through her nose and out her mouth, collecting herself once again.

"I'm working on the proposal now, Mr. Leo."

"How's it going?"

"Well, I was thinking I'd try yet another angle. I want to include people who aren't usually used in these spots. Not the managers and coaches."

"All right. When do you think you'll have a draft for me? The sooner the better."

"Let's see." She looked at her computer. "I think I can have a rough concept outline ready by the end of the day."

"Wonderful. I'd like you to bring me the new proposal before the team leaves for dinner. Can you do that, Miss Heartfilia?"

"I'll do it, sir!" Lucy said, filled with renewed determination.

She heard him chuckle on the phone, and it made her feel awkward. Was she _too_ enthusiastic? Was she trying to cover up for how awkward she felt, talking on the phone with him like this?

"I'll bring it to you before then, Mr. Leo," she said, calmer this time.

"Good. Oh, I almost forgot."

Loke had been speaking casually, in his normal Creative Director tone, but suddenly his voice got lower, softer, crooning into the phone.

"You dropped your necklace in my bathroom."

His bathroom? Oh God, last night!

"I'll return it to you," he said, his voice oozing sensual promises. Then, playfully, completely teasing her, he breathed into the phone, "…tonight."

"Tonight?" Lucy gasped.

Heads looked over at her around the office. Crap! Her voice had raised a _lot_ louder than she intended.

' _Tonight? But we're going out as a team. Is he planning on doing something after drinks?_ '

There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Until then … Lucy." With that, he hung up.

Lucy could completely see the smile on his face with those final words. He was flirting with her, right here, at work! She had thought that maybe they would completely separate work from their private life, but it seemed Loke had other ideas.

Lucy hung up the phone and sank in her chair. Only then did she realize what he had requested.

She was to bring her proposal to his office after work. Most of the employees would be gone. She would be in his office alone.

"Oh crap," she whispered.

Bisca looked over again. "Lucy, are you sure you're okay? It's an important project, but don't stress out so much that your health gets bad."

"I won't," she said, but she knew her stress was not from the pressure of trying to win the Grand Magic Games account. It was her scoundrel of a boss.

* * *

At five o'clock, people began to leave. A few stayed around to chat; many went to the cafeteria for a drink or snack before riding the train back home. Lucy gathered her notebook with the rough draft. It wasn't much, but she needed to see if her new direction was something Loke approved of before she fleshed it out into a full proposal.

She rode the elevator up to his office. The blond secretary named Lyra was still there humming a song. Lucy wondered just how long this lady had to work for a man as busy as him.

"Miss Heartfilia," she greeted. "Mr. Leo is expecting you. Go right on it."

Lucy clutched her notebook to her chest as she went up to the door and pushed it open. The room looked so huge without the rest of the team there. Loke sat at his desk, and the light from his computer monitors lit up his glasses.

"Ah, Miss Heartfilia, good of you to come. Are you looking forward to the team dinner tonight?"

He sounded so professional, it was intimidating. "Yes, sir. Natsu emailed me about the restaurant. It sounds good."

"Excellent. So, you have a new idea already?"

"A push in another direction, sir. I took the proposal from today and went even farther."

Loke took her notebook and glanced through the page. Slowly, he began to nod. "An idea that's not about athletes or managers or coaches. A push into their personal lives outside of sports. I like it. Now you have to ask yourself who to feature, and how."

"Yes, sir. I've already been thinking about that. The people who support the athletes: family, significant others, old teachers. What would it be like to watch the Grand Magic Games from their perspective? That is the route I plan to take on this revision."

"That's truly impressive. It's got heart and it'll hit the audience, who can relate to average people more than star athletes or coaches. I like this change of course. Keep going with it."

"Yes, sir!" she said in excitement.

"You composed yourself well during the meeting."

Lucy froze. Although a casual complement, she knew what he meant. They both had to act like nothing happened.

"You hardly looked at my desk," he added with a sly smile.

Lucy turned bright right. Oh crap, was he going to start on this now?

"You'll have to keep those as dreams, I'm afraid. I can't risk doing anything inappropriate at work. I won't put my career in jeopardy just for a selfish desire."

Of course. He was so serious about work, and she was selfish to think he would risk all the years he put in, all for some carnal desire. "I wouldn't have asked for it, sir."

"I'm glad you understand. This job means everything to me. I can't risk it, and I would never risk your career, either. No matter how much I may like your little kink and want to do it, I won't be a fool and do something illicit at work."

She raised her admonished eyes. "Want … to do it?"

His hands caressed the dark wood grains of his desk as his eyes gleamed at her through his glasses. "You've got me thinking about it all day. I can barely do my work because I keep thinking about what you must have been dreaming about, and wanting to take you right here on this desk."

Her breath hitched.

Loke leaned back in amusement. "Perhaps I should set up a home office and we could use the desk there."

Her face went instantly hot again, and Loke chuckled.

"Enough of that before I'm too tempted. We'll not speak of this again at work, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Your proposal is good," he said, veering back into boss mode. "I'll see you at the team dinner."

"Oh, my necklace," she recalled.

"Nope. You get that back at dinner."

She scowled. Why would he wait? They were alone now. He could hand it back and no one would know.

"I left it in my car," he explained.

Oh, that was a good reason.

"Unless you want to ride with me to the restaurant," he added, the gleam in his eyes back again.

"N-No, sir. Thank you, but that would cause rumors."

"I suppose so," he muttered in disappointment. He sighed and leaned back casually in his chair. "Too bad. I liked our last car ride."

She gulped and blushed, recalling how heavily they had made out in his car before finally heading to his apartment.

"See you tonight, Miss Heartfilia. You're dismissed."

She saw him reach down briefly to adjust his trousers. He must be aroused. She knew _she_ was. Lucy left his office and headed straight for the restrooms before the moistness between her legs ruined her panties.

How was she going to put up with a boss who was such a scoundrel?


	14. Team Dinner

Chapter 14

 **Team Dinner**

That evening, the team wrapped up their work and headed to a steak house Natsu had picked out in a chic part of town. Lucy guessed some of the guys drove—she knew Loke did—but she and Natsu decided to take the train there. She rode by his side, rubbing his back as the sway made him instantly sick. When their stop arrived, she had to half-carry him off the train and stabilize him on the platform before he could walk to the restaurant. The others were already waiting outside for them.

"I could've given you two a ride," Freed offered.

Lucy shook her head. "Natsu gets carsick easily. I wouldn't want him vomiting in your car."

Gray cringed. "Sheesh, and here I was about to offer to take one of you home on my motorcycle. Never mind."

"I'm not that bad," Natsu grumbled with a childish pout.

"You almost threw up on a nun."

"It was someone in drag."

Loke chuckled at the banter. "Next time we go out, I'll reserve a company van … and I'll make sure there's a bottle of Dramamine for Natsu."

They all walked into the restaurant together and looked around at the black leather booths, marble tables, modern décor, and orange candlelight at every table.

"Nice place," Freed said, amazed Natsu knew of such a fancy restaurant.

Natsu looked much better with the smell of sizzling beef filling the air. "Our department likes to use this place for wining and dining. They've got a huge menu, lots of good meat."

The team was led right back to their reserved table without having to wait. They ordered dinner along with bottles of wine to try. Lucy usually got something small like a salad when eating out, but Cana had sternly warned her not to act like a wimp in front of the guys. She went with a steak and shrimp dinner that she normally would reserve for something special, like her birthday. However, when the plates arrived, she was glad she had gone for something with substance. She was hungrier than she thought, and she dug right in to the food. When was the last time she had eaten a truly _fulfilling_ dinner?

They ate and tried the different wines. They commented on the meals, and Natsu kept trying to grab pieces off of everyone's plates. Lucy laughed as they all looked so relaxed, even Loke, who joked with Freed and drank more than his fair share of wine.

In the middle of the meal, Gray looked up to Lucy. "Hey, I saw your proposal just before I left the office. It's really looking good."

Lucy gulped down a mouthful of steak. "You think so? Thank you!"

Natsu grinned broadly. "Nice job, Lucy."

"It's coming along wonderfully," Loke praised.

"Thank you, sir. I'll continue to refine it."

"Very good. Ah, this is a decent Chianti. I need to buy a bottle before I leave."

Just when they were all starting to feel a pleasant buzz from the wine, Natsu sipped from his glass and turned to Loke.

"By the way, I heard a rumor that someone from Fairy Tail aggressively approached the king in order to set up this competition between agencies."

Loke stared back without speaking, but the rest of them looked up in surprise. Someone from Fairy Tail approached the king himself, and _aggressively_? Obviously, that must have been Loke. For his part, Loke did not deny anything and maintained a perfect poker face. Next to him, Freed dispassionately sipped from his glass, as if he was hiding a secret.

Gray caught on to what Natsu was saying. "So in other words, Mr. Leo, this whole thing was your doing?"

"My doing?" Loke said, an enigmatic smile rising to his face. "Being _aggressive_ with the king? That's slander."

"Well," Natsu pressed, "it sounds like if it weren't for you, there would've been no presentations, and the account would've gone straight to Sabertooth, like always."

Lucy looked around. People kept describing this as an _unheard of event_ , so she had done a bit of research on it. For years, all major events in the kingdom simply went to Sabertooth. Everyone in the industry knew it, even expected it. For something this major to be open to all ad agencies … it simply had never happened before, not in many years. It was suspicious that Sabertooth secured such high-profile accounts with not even an offer from the government toward the other agencies in Fiore. Many thought Sabertooth had some form of blackmail or leverage with high-ranked officials in the government, if not the royal family itself.

Natsu went on. "Just between us, a lot of the agencies aren't happy with Sabertooth. They scoop up all of the big jobs. If it was you who started this, I wonder if the others will finally start to complain about the way things have been run in Fiore up until now. Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus: they could all finally start to speak out. This could change _everything_."

Lucy knew that part of Natsu's job as a sales associate was to know about other agencies and the current environment within the advertising world. He did not believe every story and rumor he heard, of course. He was selective in hunting out the right leads, and he had become good at sniffing out which rumors were credible.

Gray tipped his wineglass to Loke. "You are a hero to all the agencies and creative types, you've got a slew of awards, and everyone likes you. What Fairy Tail needs right now is a _Lion_ to charge forward and lead the rest of the herd."

"Just between us," Natsu said, dropping his voice, "do you really have some kind of connection with the king? Blackmail?"

Lucy jolted at what he was implying. "N-Natsu! Maybe you've had enough to drink for now."

Despite her attempt to smooth things over, Loke lifted his glass with a smile. "Blackmail? No. If I did have something like that, I'd like to think I would've gotten us a chance sooner."

Freed smirked with a proud gleam in his eyes. "You're a man who doesn't wait to act when you have a plan. You were like that in college, too."

Loke chuckled and took a sip from his glass. "You're not usually one to reminisce."

Lucy looked between them in shock. "Wait, you two were in college together?"

"We were," Loke said casually. "Long time ago."

Lucy was suddenly curious to know more about Loke's past with Freed, but Natsu and Gray were talking about the Grand Magic Games, curious about how Loke managed to open up the committee into seeing various presentations.

"So," Natsu said, looking fired up, although maybe that was from all the meat and wine. "Who's participating in this aside from us and Sabertooth? I keep asking around, but they either aren't or they won't answer me."

"In the end," said Loke, "it's just us two."

"What?" Lucy gasped. "What about the other agencies?"

"They all declined the invitation, figuring they didn't have a chance when Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were in the mix." His face turned serious. "It's a battle between us, and Fairy Tail is aiming for the spot of number one ad agency in Fiore."

They all put their glasses down when they heard the words _number one_. Them, taking the title from Sabertooth? Fairy Tail was ranked number two, but still! The difference in profits between the two companies was insane. Everyone at the table knew that, including Loke.

However, he did not look like he was joking. Although every single person at that table had a look of astonishment, like he had just declared that the stars would fall from the sky, still Loke looked around at them with an ambitious, cunning smile.

"The idea that we could win this account and become the top ranking agency in the kingdom isn't a dream." He sounded so sure, so confident, as he declared that. "It's real, it's _close_ , and I trust every single one of you has the talent to make that happen."

Natsu looked shocked and also excited at the prospective battle between groups. "You really believe that?"

"It's not possible," Gray said, also shocked but concerned. "Sabertooth has been at the top for a long time."

"But," Loke cut in, "what if we _did_ end up as number one?"

Natsu's eyes lit up with fervor. "If this GMG account puts us at the top, it would be a major upset, and it'd be a coup for you."

They were all thinking about it now. If Loke could pull this off…

Gray spoke what they all were thinking. "That promotion everyone's been whispering about! Damn! It'd make you the youngest partner in Fairy Tail's history."

Natsu leaned back with a wild laugh. "It takes an ambitious man to get to where you are, sir."

Loke mused on that. "Ambitious, huh? I wouldn't say I'm _not_ like that. But, you don't know what's possible until you try." Then he suddenly turned to the only woman at the table. "Wouldn't you say, Miss Heartfilia?"

She had been mostly listening, absorbing it all. Now she stiffened as the conversation suddenly landed in her lap. However, she felt energy flowing through her at all this talk, all these amazing aspirations from a man she had only admired from afar up until this team formed. Now she was here, amidst some of the greatest talent in the industry, the greatest people in Fairy Tail, and right on the cusp of something that, as Natsu said, could change _everything_. Just being present as they crafted such lofty goals was inspiring.

"I'll do whatever I can to make that happen, sir," she declared, feeling infused with zeal.

Loke had a proud gleam in his eye. "It is _your_ concept that'll determine how this goes. Don't do it just for me, though. Do it for Fairy Tail. Work on it with everything you've got. Pour in all the creativity in your heart. Treat it like a piece of your soul."

"Okay!" she said, determined to fight alongside them.

Fairy Tail, number one in the kingdom! The men at that table clearly thought it was possible. There was a boyishness in Loke's expression as he talked about it that Lucy could still see in him. There was something different about his expression last time in the car, too, when he said 'I'm an ambitious man.' This was a completely different side to Loke: a fighter with confidence and lofty aspirations.

A petite waitress walked by just then. "Can I get you anything else tonight, Natsu?"

He grinned up at the girl with silvery bobbed hair. "Another round of drinks for everyone, Lisanna."

She grinned, curtsied, and hurried away.

"You really know the staff, huh?" Gray said with a his mouth partly full.

"It's a nice restaurant," Lucy said, looking around again at the décor and atmosphere. Their drinks arrived, and the petite waitress blushed as she set down Natsu's glass. Lucy caught it right away. After the young lady left, Lucy teased Natsu, "Do you come here to impress clients … or to seduce girls?"

"Oh, don't act jealous," he teased back. "Lisanna just happens to be an old friend. She's the one who told me about this place."

Lucy chuckled and sipped more wine. "Sure seems like she knows you as more than just an _old friend_."

"Well, maybe once we were _more than friends_ ," Natsu said with a complacent shrug. "I guess still being friendly with an old flame might be a foreign concept to an upright woman like you."

"Oh, it's not," Lucy chuckled, sipping more wine. "I'm shocked you bothered to remember the girl's name this time. Must've been serious."

"There you go again, acting all jealous."

"You wish."

As the two bantered like they always did, Loke looked on, watching Lucy being so relaxed around a man she fully trusted.

"Oh yeah," Gray realized, changing from shock at their intimate discussion to understanding and amusement. "You two knew each other as kids, right?"

Natsu gave a wide shrug. "There's no getting away from her even if I tried. Fate keeps pushing us back together."

"Childhood friends, huh?" Loke said as he sipped from his glass.

Lucy nudged Natsu in the arm. "You just love teasing me. You should try giving it a break some time."

"Well, look at you," Natsu said back. "Your looks don't exactly scream _seduce me_ , so I gotta tease you instead."

Lucy huffed, folded her arms, and looked away with a scowling pout. "That's rude!"

"I disagree," Loke said with smooth words and a playful smile. "I think a woman like Miss Heartfilia _wants_ a man to seduce her."

Lucy gasped at the brazen comment and nearly dropped her glass. She could not believe he just said that.

Gray added in, "Hate to admit it, but it does seem like you'd be an easy target."

"Hey!" Lucy snapped defensively.

"No, no," Natsu said, waving it off. "She's a late bloomer. Flirt with her, she won't even bite."

Lucy kicked him from under the table. "Quiet, you! I'll report you to HR."

Natsu kept egging on, "I always tell her, don't go anywhere with a stranger."

Lucy glared. "You do, huh?" What a liar!

"You're too upright, and you haven't been with a lot of guys. Barely any makeup, just that ponytail of yours, it's like you don't care about your looks, or maybe you haven't discovered your feminine charms."

Oh, what a jerk! "I have _plenty_ of charm, thank you very much. If I wanted to, I could flirt with any man I want."

Natsu grinned mischievously. "Then why haven't you flirted with me?"

She wasn't sure whether to kick him again or laugh. "Because you're _you_."

"Ouch!" Gray exclaimed, and the whole table chuckled at the burn.

The wine was buzzing them all now. Lucy knew this sort of talk would have been utterly inappropriate at work, but now she felt like they really were just a group of friends hanging out.

"Now that he mentions it," Gray said, "I always see you working late. Doesn't your boyfriend get worried?"

Natsu barged in before Lucy could answer. "Oh, she's not seeing anyone. She hasn't dated in _years_."

"Like you're one to talk. You stay at home with your cat every night."

"No, I just don't tell you about who I'm dating, whereas whenever you hook up with a guy, you tell the whole world."

Loke raised his eyebrows. "You two really _are_ close."

Lucy felt a slight panic. "N-no, I don't tell people _every_ time." Oh God, how could she assure Loke that she had not told Natsu about them hooking up without making it obvious?

"Oh, do you mean there's someone now?" Natsu asked, leaning in at her.

Loke raised a hand. "Natsu, you're sounding aggressive. Perhaps you should back off."

Lucy sighed internally. Loke really saved her.

"You're not dating, and you work late," Gray muttered, looking rather concerned. "Work's important, but you need time for yourself. Maybe get out more. Right, Freed?"

Freed just shrugged and focused on the elegant hold his fingers had on his wineglass. "There are many kinds of women. Miss Heartfilia's dedication to work has its admirable qualities. Going out, drinking, hooking up with people: that sort of lifestyle simply isn't for everyone."

Lucy was glad he was on her side … maybe? The playful banter turned to Freed and stories of a relationship he had with the grandson of the CEO, Laxus Dreyar. Gray and Natsu tried to rile him up about it, to get a good reaction out of the straight-laced accounting executive, but Lucy lost track of the conversation. She realized that Loke was staring at her.

She felt his eyes on her, but she worried that if she looked back she might blush and give something away. She stared at her wineglass instead. She felt him watching her the whole time, and it made her nervous.

"Um, excuse me for a minute. I need to fix my makeup," she said.

Lucy grabbed her purse and made her escape to the restroom, where she immediately put on more foundation to cover her blushing cheeks. The reflection in the mirror looked so pathetic to her.

Loke's teasing words played through her mind again.

" _I think a woman like Miss Heartfilia wants a man to seduce her._ "

He was just being social, chiming in on the conversation, nothing more. Lucy knew it was just a joke, and she was being overly self-conscious. Teammates teased one another. Maybe he was even being defensive of her feminine charms, considering Natsu's playful taunts.

And yet, the more Loke smiled meaningfully at her, the more she felt his eyes on her. The more she thought about him, the more paralyzed she became.

She knew what Natsu thought, even if it was just teasing. After all, he said it clearly. " _Your looks don't exactly scream 'seduce me.'_ " They were childhood friends, so of course he did not see her in a more appealing way. Or more accurately, it would be really weird if Natsu did see her as a sensual woman and not as the friend who had always been by his side.

She stared into the reflection in the mirror. ' _What do I look like in Mr. Leo's eyes? Am I really so out of place here, like Natsu says? Do I really look so … unattractive?_ ' She sighed and put on even more makeup to cover her blush. ' _I've been thinking about this sort of stuff too much lately. I didn't care about my looks before, so of course I'm probably awkward and come across as a prude. Natsu knows me better than anyone, and that's how he sees_ me." She put her makeup case back into her purse and stared back at her reflection. " _I'm changing, though. And it's Mr. Leo's fault._ '

Once she calmed down, she headed out into the hall leading to the dining area. There, she saw none other than Loke himself.

"Oh … H-Hello," Lucy stuttered.

Loke's voice was velvet as he replied, "Hello."

Even a single word from him could make her quiver inside. Then Loke stepped up close, reached his hand toward her, and touched her cheek tenderly. Lucy gasped and held perfectly still. What was he doing, right there, in the restroom hallway with their coworkers just meters away?

"Your cheeks are flushed. Is it the wine?"

Lucy heard it in his voice. He knew precisely what—or whom—made her blush like that.

She pouted as she mumbled, "You know that's not why."

Then he said with a smile in his voice, "Perhaps I overdid my teasing." Still, she could see from the look on his face that Loke was not planning to stop teasing her any time soon. "Oh right, I have something for you."

He took something out of his pocket, and Lucy saw that it was the necklace she had left at his home. She reached out to it, but he playfully pulled it back.

"Did leaving this behind mean you wanted to come to my apartment again?" he asked with a seductive smirk. "In that case, maybe I shouldn't give it back to you right here and now. Maybe I should hold on to it for _later_."

"What?" Lucy gasped. She was so stunned by his blatant offer for another night, she could not respond.

He cracked a smile, like he knew everything she was feeling. Then he walked around behind her and draped the necklace around. He shifted her hair out of the way as he clasped it, and his body was right up against her.

"Mr. Le- …"

"Stay still," he ordered.

She shivered as she felt his breath on the back of her neck, and then his lips on her skin as his fingers brushed against her neck. There was a glass window at the far end of the hallway, and Lucy could faintly see their reflection. From that angle, it looked like they were in a sensual embrace. The fear that someone might come made her heart race, yet she felt thrilled by the danger. She could not bring herself to shout at him not to touch her, and she was pretty sure he already knew how desperately she wanted to be this close.

"Back there," he said, his mouth by her ear, making her body quiver, "your _childhood friend_ said you haven't been with a lot of guys. Seems to me," he said, and she tell he was grinning, "you're surprisingly good at hiding things."

"N-not really," she whispered, feeling flustered and enthralled. Lucy knew he had already finished fastening her necklace, yet he stayed pressed up behind her.

He deliberately talked in a low, suggestive whisper. "What was that other thing he said? Ah, yes, about lacking feminine charm." His hands went down from her neck to her arms, stroking down her side, then wrapping around her, clutching her against him in a possessive embrace. "He obviously hasn't seen what I've seen, that alluring look you get on your face when you're flushed with passion. I admit, I was almost jealous for a moment there, but I'm glad to know he doesn't know _that_ side of you."

He did not take his hands off her body, nor did she move away. She was embarrassed and aroused. She wanted him to stop before she fainted from the trembling in her body, and she wanted more until she trembled in a completely different way. She wanted him to stop this since they were in public, and she wanted him to pull her back into the restroom and take her, right there in a stall. She looked straight ahead at the reflective glass, and she saw him looking at it, too. Their eyes met in the ghostly reflection.

Just a little longer … she wanted just a little more time like this. She wanted to give in to his irresistible touches once again.

Eventually, regretfully, he pulled back. They did not even need words; both understood that things would go too far if they stayed so close together. Lucy took a deep breath to compose herself while Loke pulled away and headed straight into the men's restroom. She waited for her heart to stop pounding, then finally she headed back to the table. Natsu looked up at her return, but immediately he eyed her suspiciously.

"Your face is kinda red."

"I-Is it?" she stammered. "Maybe I had a little more to drink than I should have." Drat! And after she put on so much makeup to hide it.

Gray turned away from a conversation with Freed and looked around the table. "Hey, where's Mr. Leo?"

"Umm, I passed him when I left the restroom," she said sheepishly.

Natsu's brow tensed slightly. Lucy realized he was looking at her chest, down to the necklace. He must have noticed the addition of that piece of jewelery, but he said nothing.

When Loke returned, he looked just as composed as always. The teasing completely stopped, and the conversation turned back to the project. Lucy continued to drink only water and followed the conversation as best as she could while trying her hardest not to even look at Loke.

She felt flustered by just how insufferable he could be, telling her he could not risk doing anything at work but then holding her and whispering such naughty things in her ear while dining out with the team.

She was also terrified by just much she actually _liked_ being so dangerous with him in public.


	15. Calls and Toys

_A/N: This scene was not in the otome game the fanfic is based on, but it came about naturally. Consider it a little bit of gratuitous LoLu._

* * *

Chapter 15

 **Calls and Toys**

Lucy was both glad that nothing else happened at the restaurant, and disappointed when it was time to go, and … _nothing_ else happened. Loke did not invite to take her home in his car, although that might have been because Natsu immediately offered to walk her to the train station. She rode with the motion-sick man until her stop, went home to her apartment, fed and walked Plue, cleaned the makeup off her face, and flopped into bed.

"I feel like he's just toying with me now," she muttered to Plue as she stared at her ceiling. "And I hate how much I want _more_."

Just then, her phone buzzed. She picked it up, and her heart leaped at seeing a text message from Loke.

" _Are you awake?_ "

Her fingers shook a little as she wrote back a simple, " _Yes._ "

" _Did I go too far tonight?_ "

Lucy melted into a smile. He must have been worried about her. She felt just a little mischievous as she wrote, " _I wish we could have gone farther._ "

" _Well, not in public_ ," he wrote with a winking emoji.

Lucy could hardly help but giggle. Loke! Using emojis!

" _Next time, dinner for just us._ "

Next time? She wished there could be a next time like that, but he was her boss, he had a reputation to uphold. Going out to fancy restaurants with underlings would tarnish that.

" _Sure, next time._ " She typed it, but she knew it was too much to wish for.

" _This weekend? Catering brought to a hotel?_ "

Ah, so that was how he planned to wine and dine her. Not in public, obviously, but hiding in a hotel room. She almost felt disappointed, but she knew it was the only route for two people like them. Being her boss and having a fiancée, he could never simply outright date her.

"This isn't all that different from Cana setting up evenings with the man she's having an affair with," Lucy mused to herself. She wrote back to him, " _I look forward to it._ "

" _Stay late Friday. I'll take you from work. Wish it could be tonight. You riled me up._ "

"I riled _him_ up?" she exclaimed in a huff, and Plue replied with a weird little "Pu-puun" bark. She texted back. " _Same here_."

" _Oh? Are you busy? Can you talk?_ "

Talk? Oh! He meant on the phone. He meant … _that_ sort of talk. Lucy had never done something like that, so she trembled as she debated what to say. Gently, she nudged Plue to leave the bedroom, then sat down, still shaky inside, and texted back. " _Sure_."

Instantly, her phone rang, and she answered it in a rush.

"Hello?" she breathed.

"Good evening, Miss Heartfilia. I'm here to take responsibility for tonight."

His smooth voice made the air leave her chest. She tingled all over just hearing him speak. "T-take responsibility?" she whispered, already feeling the same heat in her cheeks as earlier that night.

Loke chuckled on the other end. "Remove your clothes and obey everything I say. Relax … and _enjoy_ it."

Lucy sank back onto her pillows. She knew it was going to be a long, wonderful night listening to his voice.

"Are you naked yet?"

"Ah, n-no." Although she was alone, she felt nervous slipping out of her clothes, knowing he could hear the cloth moving over the phone. "Are you?" she asked to buy herself time as she shimmied off her panties.

"Yes."

Her throat hitched. He was?

"Do you want a picture? Are you perhaps into dick pics?"

"N-no!" she cried out without thinking, although immediately afterward, she almost wished she had said yes.

He chuckled. "Probably best not to, although I really would like to see a picture of you, something I can use while I visualize. We should be cautious, though. You should delete my text from earlier, as well. If one of your friends got hold of your phone, that would be bad."

"Oh, right," she muttered. "I guess I can't even tell my friends about us."

Loke was quiet for a moment. "I suppose that's not really fair on you," he muttered. "Tell you what. You can tell two friends, but only people you absolutely trust."

"I wouldn't know who. I mean, I don't have many close friends, I can't tell Natsu since he's on the team, and I don't have any family around anymore. I'm too scared to tell anyone."

"Don't let this scare you," he said with a gentle concern in his voice. "The last thing I want is to bother you."

She believed him. He was a tease, but he was not cruel. "It's not a bother," she said, partly to herself, partly to him. "It's my choice."

It really was. One sharp scolding, and Loke would stop all of this. He was not like some bosses she heard about in the news, who forcefully try to seduce their female employees and harass them with non-consensual touches and perverted words. Loke was being cautious, and he backed off every time he sensed that he was going too far. He was being considerate. It was _she_ who allowed things to go further.

"I'm glad you're choosing me," he said with gentle wistfulness that made Lucy bite her lip. "You are such an amazing woman. Before, I admired your hard work. After that first night, I admired so much more of you. You are so beautiful," he said quietly, warmly, crooning into the phone. "Your body is sensual. Those men tonight don't know you like I do. They've never _felt_ you like I have. They only see the clothes, hair, and a pretty face. I've _tasted_ you."

Lucy moaned slightly as memories flowed into her mind, her back on a soft bed, her legs spread, with Loke's head between them and his tongue on her.

"I wish I could be there now, gaze upon you, touch you everywhere. I was aching for some _dessert_ after dinner. I was a little mad that Natsu offered to take you home so quickly. I had planned to offer that myself. Of course, I had no plans on actually taking you home."

"My dog needs his dinner," she pointed out.

"I would hire someone to go feed and walk your dog."

She laughed that a man like him just might go that far.

"I liked watching you tonight. You looked so relaxed. I wish I could look at you now, naked and breathtaking."

The naughty side of Lucy liked that idea. She held her phone out, angling the selfie camera to get her face as well as her naked breasts. She made herself look as seductive as possible, sucking on her finger with pouty lips, before snapping the picture.

"Do you want a picture? I took one just now."

Loke hissed on the other end. "You vixen! If you really want to send it, I promise to delete it."

"Or save it to your personal computer," she said, sending the picture to him.

"I'd be too afraid even of that. It just means you have to send me nudes every time we do this."

"Why Mister Leo, it sounds like you're trying to set up something naughty with your employee."

He laughed at her coy tone. "It's not my fault I have such a naughty woman working for me. Mmmh, that picture is sinful, Lucy. Damn, if you had looked like that tonight, you would have undone every straight man at that table."

"I only want to _undo_ one," she told him.

"And I'm one lucky bastard," he growled softly. "Now, to take care of you. You have a … _toy_ , don't you?"

Lucy gasped. Was he really asking her if she had a sex toy? What could she even say to such a question? Loke himself was asking her _something like that_. Worst, he heard her choking up, and he chuckled over the phone.

"You do," he deduced. "I figured. You're a woman who knows what she likes, yet according to your childhood friend tonight, you don't have that much experience."

' _Dammit, Natsu_ ,' she thought to herself.

"Not with _men_ , at least," Loke went on. "You definitely have a _different_ sort of experience, enough to know what pleasures you. So," he said, and his voice dropped into a commanding whisper, "I want you to be a good girl and fetch your toy. I'll wait."

Lucy gulped, but she reached under her bed. She lived alone and never had people come over, so she had no reason to hide it all too well. It was a vibrating wand, already plugged into a power strip. It was casual enough so that if anyone came over, she could dismiss it as a massager for her shoulders, but it was good enough to get the job done late at night when dirty thoughts made her tingle inside.

She picked up the phone again. "Okay," she said timidly.

"What kind is it?" he asked, and she heard him adjusting around as well, settling in for the play.

"It's … um … it's a … a…"

"Come on," he urged in amusement.

"A v- … vibrator."

"What type?"

"A … a wand."

"Hitachi?"

How did he know? "Y-yes."

"Those are the most popular. Do you like it?"

"It … it gets the job done, I suppose."

"I bet it does. Put the phone onto speaker. Turn your vibrator on. I want to hear it."

Lucy gulped, but she pressed the phone to be on speaker. Now Loke would be able to hear everything in her room, and she would hear him without having the phone pressed to her ear. It was so much more humiliating that way. Then she turned on the vibrating wand. She was stunned by how loud it suddenly sounded.

"I want you to lay there, nice and naked, and put the vibrator against your nipples."

Lucy followed his order and let the soft head of the wand tingle over her breasts. She held back a moan from the pleasure and shifted around to be more comfortable. A part of her realized she was about to have _phone sex_ with her boss!

"Those sweet, succulent breasts of yours," he said seductively. "How I'd love to suck on them and play with them for hours. Pinch one of your nipples, Lucy."

She did, and although it was herself, it still made her gasp in surprise by how good it felt after being vibrated by the wand. All the nerves were awake and intense.

"Good girl. Now, let the wand slide down your stomach, all the way down."

She began to, but already she knew this was going to affect her greater than normal. "Mr. Leo," she keened quietly.

"Keep going. Put it against you, right where you like it most."

Lucy bit her lip, but she did as he instructed. Right away, her body arched up, shocked by the jolt of pleasure from the vibrator.

"Hold it there!" he ordered, and she forced herself not to pull it away. "Don't be quiet; I need to hear you. Let me hear your moans, Lucy."

No! She always tried to be as quiet as possible, hiding her voice from the neighbors around her. What would they think, knowing she lived alone but hearing her make erotic moans. They would _know_ she was masturbating. And yet … yet she wanted _him_ to hear. She wanted to pleasure him. He was on the other end of this call, ready to stroke himself to the sound of her voice. Lucy struggled, but her desire to give some pleasure to Loke outweighed her bashfulness. She pressed the vibrator up against her womanhood a little firmer, and when the buzz sent sparks up her spine and mini explosions through her lower stomach, she did not bite her lip and hold back; she opened her mouth and let out a shuddering moan.

"Oh God, yes," Loke gasped, and she heard a throaty groan from him. "Good girl, Lucy. Press it against your clit and think of me licking it, kissing and sucking that sweet little button of yours. My tongue … all over you."

Hearing him talk dirty shocked her and thrilled her. Lucy began to lose herself in the warm voice and burning tingles. With her eyes closed, she could imagine they were anywhere together, and it was him playing down there, bringing her pleasure once again.

"Now, I want you to reach up with one hand. Rub your nipples. Do you like when I touch your nipples?"

"Y-yes," she moaned.

"Pinch them for me."

She did, and she moaned, thinking about how Loke could pleasure so many parts of her body all at once.

"What do you want? Tell me, Lucy."

What did she want? God, everything. His hands, his mouth, his cock, everything got into the act of eliciting waves of ecstasy though her.

"What would you want me to do to you right now, Lucy?" he asked again, urging her to join in on this play.

"I want … I want your cock in me?"

"Heh. You sound so uncertain. Come on, tell me what you like. What do I do that really _buzzes_ you? If I was there, what would you be begging for?"

Oh, she _knew_ what he wanted to hear. "Thrust into me," she moaned.

She heard him curse softly and thought she heard the fleshy sounds of his hand pleasuring himself. Her naughty side roared up. She wanted to _undo him_!

"I wanna feel you in me," she said in a suggestive whisper. "I want you to spread me wide."

Loke cursed softly again, and his voice took on a note of desperation. "What else?"

She licked her lips. Time to make his imagination go wild! "I wanna climb on top of you, straddle your hips, and slide down onto your cock."

"Shit," he hissed.

"I want you to thrust up into me, deep inside, press through the softness and fill me with your cock."

"Fuck. You naughty girl. Maybe you've not had much experience, but you've had a lot of phone sex."

She chuckled, glad to hear that she was doing this right. "Nope. First time."

"First? Well, seems I get to have at least one _first_ with you. Am I breaking you in?"

She laughed softly at that idea. A first, and she gets to have it with Mr. Loke Leo!

"I like when you ride me," he told her. "I love looking at you while you take your pleasure. I like knowing it's me who can give that to you. My dick pressing through those sweet, wet lips of yours, up inside of you, feeling you squeeze yourself around me."

Lucy whimpered as memories and the vibrator blended together, giving her a similar pleasure to that night.

"Then as I watch you riding me hard, reach up and rub your clit while you slam your wet pussy onto my cock. Would you like that?"

In reply, Lucy moaned. Her eyes were closed and visualizing it. Her body was twisting with pleasures. His voice was intoxicating her.

"Would you rather I rub your clit, or your breasts?"

"Both," Lucy said in a shudder.

"Mmh, you want _everything_ , you greed girl. You want it all."

"I just want you," she whispered.

Loke was quiet for a moment, and she wondered why he had stopped. Had she said something wrong by saying that?

"Yeah," he said thoughtfully, and she really wondered if she said the wrong thing. "I want you, too."

Oh wait! That sounded … maybe a little personal. Was that why her moan stunned him. Then what did he mean by saying it back? He wanted her? How?

"I want to feel you, pleasure you, pound inside of you."

Oh, right … theirs was a relationship of pleasure, not … well, not more.

"I want to make love to you all night and gaze upon your sweaty body in the morning."

As sweet as that sounded, it was all just a carnal desire. He wanted to _make love_ , not to _love_ her. He had not once said he loved her.

"I want to feel how wet you are, and make you even more drenched. I wanna make you burst apart inside."

Okay, _that_ was affecting her again. His dirty talk was phenomenal and vivid, affecting her emotionally just like his commercials could do.

"I can still hear your vibrator buzzing against you. Where is it?"

"Down," she whispered, his voice taking her away from worries and back into the moment.

"Do you wanna know what I'm doing?"

She knew what he probably was doing, but she wanted to hear him say it. "Tell me."

"Stroking myself. Got some lotion on my cock. You had me hard all night. I needed to do this. That's what you do to me, Lucy. I'm so hard and already starting to leak. Can't touch my phone with that hand."

She bite her lip and groaned.

"Tell me what you want, Lucy."

What she wanted? She no longer knew for sure. There was so much she privately wanted but knew she could never have.

"I want you in bed with me," she whispered. "I want it to be you doing this to me."

"Me, too," he sighed. "I wish I could at least see you."

He could! Why had they not thought of this? "Do you have video chat?"

"Video?" He sounded confused, but then instantly his voice perked up. "Lucy, you genius! Yeah, go to video. I'll need to set the phone up somewhere."

She turned off the vibrator and did the same, picking the phone up off her pillow and carefully putting it on a nearby table, propped up so she could look at it hands-free. The screen flicked on, and there he was, bare chest and orange hair sticking up, with a slight flush to his cheeks.

"Well, hey there, beautiful," he said with a charming grin.

Lucy giggled. "H-hi."

"God, you're already flushed."

"You too."

"Lean back a little, and sit up so I can see your whole body."

She shifted around on the bed, looking in the video's corner display of herself to get a good angle for him. She had to sit up and adjust the phone when she realized it was cutting her off, but finally she was in the picture.

"Good. Now, spread your legs."

Bashful once again, she did. She could _see_ this time in the reflected video, her pussy was bright pink, and now it was closer to the camera than her face. He was getting a great view of her sex.

"Beautiful," he breathed in awe. "You wanna see me?" He shifted back, and she saw his body come into view, _all_ of it. "Can you see me okay?"

"Y-yeah," she said. "Kinda wish I had a bigger screen to look at."

"Maybe next time, we'll do this over the computer. You can see me, though? Can you see this?" He stroked herself, and Lucy gasped at watching him. " _This_ is what you do to me," he said in accusation as he stroked himself fully.

She moaned with a sensual pout. "I wish I could take care of it."

"Heh, I wish you could, too. Your hands feel softer on me, and your mouth … damn, that was amazing." He gazed at her through the video screen. "I really wanted you at that restaurant."

"Me, too."

"I was so tempted to take you into the restroom and _ravage_ you in there."

She moaned and remembered how she had wanted the same thing.

"You are a sinfully sexy woman, Lucy. So naughty like this, on the phone with your boss, showing him your pussy."

She suddenly slammed her legs shut as she was reminded of that.

"No, open them. I already know just how naughty you are. How about you show me your little _toy_?"

Although he already knew what it was, Lucy hesitated in humiliation before lifting the wand up.

"Hmm, looks decent enough. Now, show me how you use it on yourself."

She whimpered, but she clicked the switch that got the wand to vibrate. Then, slowly, she brought it down to her clit and lightly let it touch her there.

"Do you like using it?" he asked as he began to stroke himself.

She watched him, and she gasped. Loke was masturbating … _to her_.

"Oh? You knew I was doing this," he said, amused by her reaction. "Do you like watching me stroke myself?"

She timidly nodded.

"Good. Watch me, and think about my cock inside you."

She moaned, and she pressed the wand a little closer against her to feel the vibrations more. She began to move the wand up and down.

"Oh fuck, yes," Loke moaned. "Reach up. Touch your breasts for me."

She did, grabbing her boob, pinching her nipples, all while moaning.

"Oh shit, you look so good. Do you like how that makes you feel?" Her soft whimper was answer enough. "Has it made you wet?"

It had! She would have to clean off the wand again.

"I don't think it's enough."

That surprised her. Not enough? "It is," she protested.

"No. That's just pleasuring you on the outside. Maybe I should get you something else. Maybe a dildo, something you can thrust inside and squeeze around." He stopped and laughed at himself. "What a dirty thing for a boss to give to an employee! You might like it, though. A naughty girl like you … oh yes, you'd _love_ to have something that reminds you of me, something you can put inside, fill yourself up when I'm not there."

A dildo, from her boss! Oh God, people got in serious trouble for that sort of thing! And that made the thought of it more dangerous and desirous. Something like that, a present from him to pleasure herself, something that could go inside, imagining it was him.

"Would you want one?"

"Are … are you serious?" she squeaked.

"Maybe." His smile was playful, and so she honestly could not tell if he was joking. "Although I wouldn't want you to enjoy it too much and not need me."

She laughed softly. "Not a chance of that."

"Oh?" he asked in amusement. "Do you prefer me?"

"Mm-hmm," she moaned, licking her lips.

He looked enthralled by her. "What do you like most?"

"Everything," she groaned. "The way you touch me, the way you grab me, your fingers inside me."

"Mmm. Do that. Touch yourself inside. That's what's missing here. I don't like the idea of some machine only pleasuring you on the outside. You deserve more. I wanna see your fingers pleasuring the _inside_ of you."

Lucy gasped. He couldn't be serious! "It'll get messy."

"Good. I wanna see you become a mess."

It was humiliating enough doing this where he could see. To actually touch herself … she almost told him _no_ outright, but then she looked down at his cock on the screen. He was showing her how he touched himself. Wasn't this only fair? Plus, he had touched there, licked there, smothered his face into that area. It wasn't like he had never seen fingers in her vagina before. The only difference was that it would be her own fingers down there.

Maybe he wanted to see how she did it so he could touch her the same way. Ooh, she wanted him to touch her!

"Only if you're okay with it," he assured.

That little bit of caring melted away her worries. Loke just wanted her to feel good.

"I … I normally … don't touch like that," she confessed.

"You've never fingered yourself?"

Her cheeks went bright and hot. "I … have. I just normally don't. It's … m-messy."

"You really do get wet," he had to admit. "If you're not comfortable, it's okay. I just want to know you're fully and completely pleasured."

Feeling self-conscious, she reached down. "M-maybe … a little?"

"Just one finger, if it's okay."

He was being so considerate, it made her feel more relaxed and confident. Him making sure this was fully consensual made her feel even more bold and empowered. She let her finger drift below the head of the wand, and she felt around.

God, she was _drenched_! She heard a soft gasp and saw in the phone screen, Loke was stroking himself faster. She was thrilled by the idea of driving him crazy. She allowed herself to relax, and her finger slid inside. She was honest when she said she rarely fingered herself, probably never since getting this vibrating wand. It did the job without much mess. She was surprised by how smooth it was inside.

"So warm," she moaned, and she heard Loke cuss in a hiss. "It's so soft inside."

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "Is it wet?"

"Dripping," she moaned, and the curse from him made her loins sizzle.

"Shit, I wanna be inside you," he growled. "I want you to squeeze my cock."

His cock? She tried to imagine it was him, but she realized it wasn't enough. She slid another finger in, and she squeezed herself around both. Lucy let out a loud moan, and her back arched up.

"Oh fuck, Lucy," he groaned. She opened her eyes to see his hand stroking rapidly. "Pound your fingers in. Let me hear you."

She did, and she quivered again, moaning louder. Her body knew what it wanted. Her two fingers twisted and reached right to where she knew it felt best.

"Oh fuck, is that your G-spot?" Loke asked in astonishment. "Touch there, Lucy. Fuck yourself there."

She didn't need his orders. She let her fingers pound and curl in right where it was most intense. Her other hand stroked the vibrator up and down, going faster, feeling everything building. Her voice was so loud, certainly all of her neighbors probably thought she had a man over that night.

"That's so good. Good girl. Oh God, you look amazing."

His voice kept her imagining he was there, and it was his fingers.

"Keep going," he urged, sounding breathless himself. "Keep touching there. You're almost there, I can tell."

Yes, he could tell about her. He knew how to pleasure her. Even this, knowing she was being watched, knowing she was putting on a show _for her boss_ , was making her come apart. She panted faster, harder, and suddenly her neck threw back.

"Oh God!" she screamed. Her toes clenched up as her body burned and she could _feel_ her walls spasming around her fingers. She slammed her fingers in and let the vibrator ride her through the waves of pleasure. Her body shuddered, and she barely heard the phone now.

"Oh shit, Lucy. Shit!"

Still tingling, she opened her eyes and grabbed her phone to be close enough to truly see it, just as Loke's hand stroked in a frenzy. He gasped, and she saw white spurting out his cock, dripping over his fingers, as his head sank back in exhausting.

"Oh God … oh fuck … that was … damn!" he muttered.

The vibrator was still against her, working out the last of the spasms, but she watched him closely over the video, how he milked himself, stroking gently through the end of it.

He was the man she admired so greatly for his ingenuousness and creativity. Why did she absolutely love to see him at his most vulnerable, overwhelmed by lust? Why did she _like_ to know she could defeat him like this?

Loke grabbed some nearby tissues and wiped up. When he looked at the phone, he laughed, seeing her face so close.

"Good show?" he asked.

"Very good," she said with a smirk.

For a moment, he almost looked embarrassed, and the bashful expression surprised her. "Can I confess something?" He reached over and picked up the phone to hold it closer and see her face. "That's the first time I've done phone sex as well."

"Bullshit," she laughed.

"Are you calling your boss a liar?" he challenged playfully.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, it's the truth. I wanted to call you earlier, but I wasn't sure if I could pull this off. I had to research it."

"You researched phone sex? Now I know you're bullshitting."

"Okay, I watched a porn," he confessed, and it made her laugh even more. "I'm being honest. And to be fully truthful, I liked it. A lot! Did you?"

She sank in exhaustion on her pillows. "Yeah, I liked it."

"Please say we can do this again. I don't like having to do it over the phone, but…" He sighed, and she saw him collapse back into bed as well. "I can't have you every night," he said with a hint of loneliness. It was immediately banished by a naughty smile. "At least I can watch you."

"Well, I don't do this _every day_."

"Oh yeah? How often?"

Her cheeks heated up and she pouted that he was teasing her again. "Not too often."

Loke smiled at her, and his eyes went down to where her chest was just barely hidden. "Would you do it if I asked you to?"

"It depends," she said with an air of haughtiness. "I may not be in the mood."

Her attitude made him laugh, and he looked at her with adoration. "Well then, I'll have to figure out how to get you into the mood." He looked over her again, and Lucy saw him trying to look down. She saw in the camera, the image stopped right at her cleavage. Licking her lips, knowing what he wanted, she pulled the phone back a little more, enough to show her breasts. Loke stared, and for a moment she wondered if he would want a second round, sort of like how his virility seemed to have no end when they were together. Instead, he just admired them for a few seconds, then looked back up to her eyes.

"Do you still want to get together this weekend?"

"If you do."

"More than anything! Do you mind a hotel?"

"It's probably safer."

"Yeah … we'll be safer that way. And then we'll have a bed where we can do anything we want, and we don't have to worry about the sheets getting messy."

She smiled, but she was starting to get drowsy after all that.

"You look so … amazing like that." He laughed to himself, shaking his head. Then he tried to put some hidden thought aside. "Well, I hope you enjoyed dinner with the team tonight."

"I did," she assured.

"And this?" he asked.

She hummed and stretched, letting the phone go out and making sure it showed her breasts again. "Poor substitute," she said as sensually as she could, "but I liked it."

"Good," he whispered. "I should let you get some sleep. We both have to be at work early in the morning."

"Mmh, I guess so," she realized, disappointed that it had to end.

"Good night, Lucy."

"Good night, Mr. Leo."

The phone went dark, and she was left with a wet vibrator and tangled sheets on the bed. She let out a long, weary sigh and stretched.

His first phone sex? No way could she believe that! But the idea that Loke would research it by watching porn … that somehow seemed like something he would do. He was so thorough when it came to researching a product for work, it just seemed plausible.

Was this really a first for both of them? That made it seem so much more … important!

"Pu-puun?" came a bark, and Plue began to scratch at her closed door.

Lucy raised up, wrapped a robe around her flushed body, and walked over to open the door. Plue was there, wagging and looking worried.

"Hey, boy," she said, and she stroked his head. "It's okay." She looked over to the phone resting on her bed. "Everything is okay." Plue began to sniff her hand. "Oh my God! No, don't lick that."

She rushed to the bathroom to wash the wet mess on her fingers. How humiliating! Yet she had to admit, she loved even how lewd Loke was making her act.

* * *

The next day, Fairy Tail was the same as usual. She worked on her project, she had lunch with Cana and Levy, she did not see Loke around at all the entire day, which was not usually. Before being brought onto the Grand Magic Games team, it was rare to see him at work.

She did not stay too late that day, and when she arrived at home, she saw there was a package for her. She opened up her apartment, mindlessly petting Plue and he bounced around her happily. The plain brown package had no name, and the return address was a post office box in the same city. How odd. She fed Plue, then opened the package.

Inside, she found another box … with a dildo inside. Lucy gave out a soft scream, and Plue jolted up from his food dish.

"Oh my God, he didn't!" she cried out with her hands covering her mouth, and yet it was definitely certain. He had! With it was a letter.

" _Call me before you try it out. I wanna watch._ "

"Oh, that … that … _scoundrel_!" she shouted.

Yet Lucy had to laugh. Already, she wanted to try it. She wanted to _show him_. But she also wanted to make him realize he could not order her around in this sort of situation. She picked up her phone and sent as vague of a text as she could, just in case Loke was around people who might see his phone.

" _Package received. Request denied. I'll open it this weekend._ "

It took a minute, but her phone pinged back.

" _Glad you got it. Disappointed at the delay. Bring it to my office Friday._ "

"Bring it to work?" she shouted in disbelief. No, some things she simply would not do.

" _Not to work. Fetch it later._ "

" _Understood. I'm busy tonight anyway. Keep the package sealed._ "

She huffed. "He wanted me to use it but he's busy tonight? I'm tempted to disobey my boss."

Chuckling naughtily, she typed back, " _No promises I won't open it. It's mine now, after all._ "

There was no reply. Was he mad? Disappointed? Had he really wanted her to break in the dildo with him watching? Maybe she went too far. She fixed herself dinner, but she kept glancing at the phone. Maybe he really was busy. What was he doing? Was it for work? Was it something private? What did he even do in his private time?

She had settled down on the couch for some TV with Plue in her lap when her phone rang. She saw it was Loke, and not just a text. He was calling her! She muted the television.

"Hello?" she asked, her heart pounding.

"You vixen," he said, and she almost thought he sounded like he was bottling up rage. "I was in a rather important meeting, and you're talking about the dildo. Do you have any idea how stressful that was?"

She put on a smug tone, "Then maybe next time don't give me a sex toy until you're ready to use it."

"Did you open it?" he asked, sounding a little petulant.

"Not yet."

"You can. I just wanted to tease you. Of course it's yours, you can use it any time you want. Don't think I'm putting limits on what you do with your own body."

Again, he was being considerate, acknowledging her autonomy as a woman. "You were just being a scoundrel."

"You like to call me that," he noted.

"And you like to call me a naughty girl and a vixen."

"Because you are one."

"And you're a scoundrel."

He laughed at her openness to banter. "Fair enough."

"Do you … um … are you busy?"

He paused, she thought in shock, and when he spoke, his voice was sensual. "I'm free the rest of the night. Do you want to … _talk_?"

She bit her lip and looked over at the brown box. "Unless you want to wait until this weekend."

"Whatever you want, Lucy. Whatever makes you comfortable."

She stood up and walked to the package, looking at the picture on the box. "It looks kind of … intricate."

"It had the best reviews."

She laughed. Leave it to him to do research on what sex toy to buy for his lover!

"Is something funny?" he asked in confusion.

"No. I'm sure it pleasured plenty of women. It just looks complex."

"I'm sure it's easy to figure out. Turn on the switch, slid it inside, figure out where it feels best."

"I'd rather you help me figure this out. After all, you did all the research into it."

Loke chuckled softly. "I can talk you through it. Take it out of the box. Wash it thoroughly. Call me back when you're done. I want to fix myself a drink and slip out of this suit."

"Right," she said breathlessly. She hung up, but her hands were already shaking.

She took the box into the bedroom and shut the door. Plue sat on the couch, listening to the voices and noises coming from the bedroom. Meanwhile, the TV played silently, and Plue watched the images on the screen while Lucy moaned and gasped. Plue heard the deep voice of a man, but he smelled no strangers in the house, so he did not bark.

An hour later, Lucy came out, sweaty and flushed, and collapsed onto the couch. "He really is a scoundrel," she said to Plue, and she curled up with weary happiness. "And he's so … addictive!"


	16. Telling the Truth

Chapter 16

 **Telling the Truth**

A week passed with professionalism in the day and occasional phone calls at night. It was not every evening, and Loke explained that he was often busy, even almost until midnight sometimes. Then that Friday, just before Lucy left for work, there was a knock at her door. A prim woman in a black and white suit with short pink hair and huge blue eyes stood on the threshold, calling herself Virgo, personal assistant to Mister Leo, there to take Plue for the weekend. Lucy groaned that Loke really had gone as far as he boasted he would. However, she got a text from him while the woman was introducing herself, and it was Loke telling her she could trust Virgo. Figuring it was better than leaving the poor dog alone or bothering her landlady again, she put Plue on a leash and watched Virgo take him off to a waiting car, promising him lots of treats.

That evening, Loke took her to a lavish hotel with a jacuzzi in the room. The place was already decorated in flowers, with a box of chocolates and two bottles of wine waiting. He pampered her like a princess all weekend, feeding her chocolates, massaging her feet with skilled hands and scented oil, soaking in the jacuzzi together, eating amazing dishes brought up by room service, and loving her over and over again. When they weren't being passionate, they simply cuddled together on the couch. They even watched Loke's favorite movie, _The Lion King_. Lucy had to laugh that such a brilliant, creative, sophisticated man like him loved classic Disney films. It made him more human, more real, and not the idol she had always admired from afar.

On Sunday, she returned home alone, knowing she could not be seen with him. It was an awkward train ride, the long weekend of passion making her head hazy and her thighs ache. That whole weekend felt like a dream now that she was away from flowers and scented oils, and back to the musky fetor of public transportation. She arrived home to find Virgo waiting (she supposed Loke had called her to let her know Lucy was on her way) and Plue pounced on her in excitement.

She was back to her life, her small apartment with stains on the carpet and chipped paint around the windows. Her boring, simple, painfully lonely life.

* * *

Later that week, Lucy went out to lunch at a café with Cana and Levy. They ate under wide umbrellas on a sunny deck with the sounds of the city all around them. Lucy had a salad, Levy ordered a pasta dish, while Cana had enchiladas with a margarita. Since she was allowed to drink at the café, she was going big.

After random small talk about office rumors they all knew weren't true—but were funny anyway—Cana suddenly leaned in close and asked, "Hey Lucy, are you seeing anyone?"

Lucy gulped hard, almost choking on her salad. "Huh?" she squawked.

"He doesn't have to be your _boyfriend_ , per say," Cana said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "but there _is_ a man in your life, isn't there?"

"Cana!" gasped Levy.

The brunette looked over to her. "You can tell, too, right?"

Levy flinched, looked timidly at Lucy, and quietly confessed, "W-well, I was wondering about that."

Cana nodded as if that proved her theory. "And my instincts tell me … he works here in Fairy Tail."

"Wha- …" Lucy knew she needed to shut this down, deny it, deny there was anyone at all, but the words would not come out. Instead, she felt her cheeks glowing with warmth, and she tucked her head down tight, staring at her trembling hands.

"Hah!" Cana burst out. "I knew it. Is it someone on Team Leo?"

"How did you…?" _Crap!_ She should have kept quiet.

Cana winked at her. "You can't hide from me."

"Cana's right," said Levy. "You've been acting strange lately. You're antsy, restless."

"Exactly, and it all started after you were chosen for that team."

Lucy sighed, knowing she could never hide anything from these two for very long. Loke had given her permission to tell just two friends, only people she thoroughly trusted. Cana and Levy were her closest female friends. Plus, if she had to admit it to herself, she really did want to tell someone about this. She looked around, making sure no one from work was there, then shielded her mouth. The two leaned in eagerly as she whispered.

"It's Mr. Leo."

"What?" Levy screamed. "L- … Le- …"

Cana slapped a hand over the small woman's mouth, but her eyes were also large with surprise. "Wow. I honestly didn't think it was him. I was sure it was Gray or Natsu."

Lucy bit her lip. "Is it really that obvious that I'm seeing someone?"

"Yup," chuckled Cana. "I've noticed your suspicious behavior from the very start."

Lucy groaned. If she noticed, how many others did?

Levy finally recovered from her surprise. "It's little things. You changed your makeup, and you've started to style your hair differently."

"Does it not look good?" Lucy asked fretfully.

"No, I like it," Levy assured her.

"Your makeup now really highlights your eyes and lips." Cana smirked naughtily. "I bet Mr. Leo really loves it, too. Your lips, that is."

"Ack!" yelped Lucy.

"So?" Cana said excitedly, nearly bouncing in her seat. "What is he like? How did this happen?" Then she added slyly, "How far have you two gone?"

Lucy gasped. "Cana!"

Levy looked more concerned than curious. "He's engaged, isn't he?"

Lucy waved that aside. "Oh, that was just a rumor."

He was not technically engaged yet, but the truth was, he was considering it. Lucy knew she should not get into that. It was a private matter for Loke, and she should respect his personal life. She told them everything else, though, how she got drunk, how she did not remember that first night, the crazy morning after with her not knowing who the man in the hotel was, figuring it out, how they met again and she went to his apartment for the night, the issue with the necklace at the steak restaurant, long phone calls late at night—of course, she left off precisely what those phone calls were like—and how she went with him to a hotel over the weekend.

Both Levy and Cana squealed at hearing that.

"How exciting!" Cana chuckled shrewdly. "I hope you wore cute underwear."

Lucy looked stunned. "What?"

"Oh, come on! You went out with your man, and you didn't wear cute underwear? Okay, after work we're going to Victoria's Secret and we're getting you something sexy."

Levy's eyes sparkled with dreams of romance. "I'd love to have a reason to wear cute lingerie."

"Ooh?" Cana chuckled. "I happen to know a guy who would love to see you like that."

Levy squeaked and looked ready to protest.

"And," she added, "he works in Fairy Tail. Convenient, right?" She laughed as she took a huge gulp of her margarita. "Aren't office romances great?"

"To be honest, they're not for me," Lucy said, feeling down despite everything that had happened. "I'm nervous all the time. Like you said, I'm acting weird."

"Don't talk about the negative things," Levy counseled. "Be positive."

"Exactly," Cana added in. "The guy everyone wants to sleep with wants you. He _slept_ with you."

"Shh!" Lucy cried out in panic, looking around nervously again. While she understood why Cana was so excited, Lucy still felt flustered by the whole thing, like maybe all of it really was a mistake. It was what she wanted, but how long before it bit her in the ass?

"Hey, I know that face," Cana scolded. "I say, just accept the circumstances and enjoy yourself."

Enjoy herself? She supposed, if Loke really did want her, if there was nothing about their relationship she specifically felt _bad_ about … could she simply let herself have fun while it lasted?

"Just don't get too emotionally involved," Cana warned, sipping her margarita. "Otherwise, you'll only get hurt."

"Don't get emotionally involved?" Lucy muttered. That seemed impossible, yet Lucy could see how advice like that was important when someone who wanted a fling could never truly be hers. If she got emotionally involved, then when it had to end—and she knew one day it would—she would be devastated. In that sense, Cana was right. Still, Lucy's shoulders fell in disappointment. How could she possibly not get emotionally involved when her heart raced every time he texted or called her?

At least she felt better for having told this to her friends. She felt less like she was lying and more like she just had a secret between her best friends.

"You can't tell anyone," she warned sternly.

Cana crossed her heart and raised her hand. "May I never drink another drop of alcohol if I tell a soul. You don't have to worry about me. Hell, I'm sleeping with a married man! I know how important it is to only tell people you know will never tell a soul. I trust you two, so you can trust us."

"That's right," Levy said enthusiastically. "We're your friends. We won't do anything that might get you into trouble."

"Just make sure you keep _yourself_ out of trouble," Cana advised. "Nothing at work, watch yourself in public, and whatever you do, don't go fantasizing some crazy dream that he'll ruin his life just to be yours exclusively. This is a fun office romance, that's all, so enjoy the sex, enjoy the hotels, let him be your sugar daddy, and don't stress out thinking about the future."

 _Don't think about the future. Don't get emotionally involved_. Lucy could see the practicality of that advice. He was her boss, she was his employee, and at any moment things might have to come to an end, either due to rumors that could jeopardize their jobs, or if Loke agreed to the engagement.

However, at least to Lucy, she felt like something serious had started. If it was just the one night, maybe she could have forgotten about it. It would have been a nice memory, nothing more. But now … there was no going back to that. It was far more than just a stellar mistake, a one-night stand to remember and gradually forgotten. Already, she had been swept up on a large wave of inexpressible feeling, and it was controlling her, changing her.

She wanted to ride that wave forever, and she feared the moment when it would come crashing to a halt.


	17. Doctor's Advice

Chapter 17

 **Doctor's Advice**

As the days went on, Loke continued to act like her boss at the office. He often went up to talk with her about the project with a professional smile and his _director voice_. Lucy could hardly help but think that he seemed to be a little _too good_ at hiding this office romance. He was busy on weekends, often leaving to the capitol of Crocus, although he never told Lucy why, and she figured it was not her place to ask.

Finally, it was another Tuesday, and another weekly meeting. Loke was in his boss-mode once again, as he always was at times like this. He looked puzzled as he read Lucy's revised proposal.

"Like I said, the concept's not bad; I like the angle, how people with no relationship to the GMG view the Games. That's the standpoint of almost everyone who will be watching this commercial."

These were all good points, but the puzzled look on his face told Lucy what she needed to know. It still was not good enough. What was missing?

"Should I try a different angle?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "No, I don't think you need to change the direction. It just needs more punch, something that'll surprise our viewers. I want a message that means something to people."

Something surprising? Lucy really felt like she was pushing the limits of her creativity already, but she could not give up the battle yet. She shook her head and firmed up her shoulders.

"Okay, I'll keep working on it."

"Can you do it?" Loke asked, although he had a smile of confidence.

"Yes, I'll get it done on time."

Her energetic reply seemed to satisfy him. He handed the proposal back to her, and the discussion shifted to Freed's department. Lucy kept her disappointment hidden, but she hardly listened to the rest of the meeting. Financing the venture meant little to her. She still had time to get a storyboard finalized, but time was quickly running out.

As the afternoon dragged into evening and she found herself no closer to fixing the proposal, Lucy went to the break room. Most people had gone home for the night, but she could not return to Plue when her mind was so focused on work. There in the lounge with only the hum of the vending machine, she could finally openly sigh as she looked at the printout of her failed proposal.

It was lacking in edge. She already knew that, but she had drawn a blank, so she went with this simpler idea. The point of view was good, it just needed impact, something to get people's attention.

"Ugh! I don't know," she groaned with a sigh of exasperation.

"That sighing … is that the proposal?"

She turned around and saw Capricorn, the in-house doctor. "Dr. Capricorn, hello."

"Hello," he greeted with a gentle smile, but also worry creasing his brow. "You're staying awfully late. That's not healthy."

"I know," she muttered, and she slouched over. "I can't concentrate at home, so I thought I'd collect my thoughts at the office. Are you still working, too?"

"I was getting ready to go home when I saw you." He took a seat across from her. "So, it looks to me like my old friend has given you an impossible task, and you're struggling to deal with it."

"Old friend? Do you mean Mr. Leo? Did you two go to school together?" she asked, recalling that Loke said he had known Freed Justine since university.

"Yes, I've known Loke Leo since preschool."

Lucy gasped. "That long?" She set her proposal to the side and leaned forward in excitement. "What was he like?"

Capricorn chuckled. "I could go on for days about him. There are a million stories I could tell you."

She wanted to hear all of them, but maybe in the middle of Fairy Tail was not the place for stories of a director's childhood. At least, Capricorn kept his _million stories_ to himself for now.

"I was a little surprised that you're on the Grand Magic Games team. Not that I don't think you're talented—Leo would not have chosen you otherwise—but all of the other members are in management or senior levels. That must be a lot of pressure on you. How's that going? Are you feeling okay?"

Lucy frowned and slouched again. "As I'm sure you've gathered from my sighs, I haven't been able to meet Mr. Leo's approval." She cast her eyes down to the proposal.

"In other words, you're burdened by his expectations."

"It's … really not that bad," she said meekly. He looked at her a little more firmly, obviously not buying that, so she decided to confess, just like when she had gone to him in the past for mental health counseling. "He said the presentation hangs on my campaign concept."

"I see," Capricorn said gently. "That must be emotionally taxing on you."

"I want to use what ability I have to do my absolute best. I also want to believe in myself, like Mr. Leo believes in me. I want to get this right, no matter how many revisions it takes, but every time, I can _feel_ it: it's not enough, it's not fully developed, and I don't know what to do. He sees the flaws instantly, and although he's been giving me good advice, I just can't figure out what's missing. I want to do this; I _know_ I can," she insisted. "I just have to wonder if I was really the best choice. As you said, I'm not senior level. Do I truly have the skills he thinks I do?"

Capricorn listened to her worries and quietly nodded. "I know he looks like an executive, but he's more of a _player_ than a _manager_ , if you know what I mean."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You mean women?" Was Loke that sort of _player_?

He chuckled and shook his head. "I mean in the game. Since he was a child, everything has always been a game for him, and he's fiercely competitive. However, he was horrible in team sports. He simply couldn't play well with others, and he got into a bit of trouble in school because of that prideful streak."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, curious by this glimpse into young Loke.

"For as long as I've known him, he's always wanted to do everything himself without relying on anyone else. It's one of his greatest weaknesses, and it's also precisely how he's risen in the corporate world to where he is now."

"Everyone knows he's good at what he does," she said.

She knew Loke could probably get this proposal done faster than her, especially since he obviously had something in mind. He had won so many awards, it was clear that if he did this on his own, it would have been done already. However, it seemed like Mr. Leo was trying to train younger talent, such as guiding Lucy, giving her hints without telling her directly what to do. He had been so helpful to Lucy, so she was surprised to hear that he was _more player than manager_. Although, he did arrange for this presentation all by himself, so there were definitely moments where the Creative Director struck out on his own.

Capricorn stroked his goatee. "He's the most detail-oriented man I've ever met, and he's enthusiastic in everything he sets his mind to. He's always been eager to leap in and fight the battle on his own. To put it bluntly," Capricorn told her, "he normally doesn't expect things from other people, and he doesn't try to help them. It's too much trouble for him. He'd sooner do all the work himself and get it done faster."

"That's what I was thinking," she muttered. "He could do this faster than I could."

"Probably, but better? That's subjective. I probably shouldn't say this since he's your boss, but Leo is a man who surrounds himself with only the best because he doesn't have patience for mediocre. Whenever he handpicks a team, he chooses only those he knows are better than him to do a given task. Lucy," he said seriously. "He handpicked _you_. If he's actually offering you guidance, then he must adamantly believe in your potential."

"He does?" Lucy asked in astonishment. "Me?"

"If he didn't, he would have just done it himself and gotten it over with. He must truly believe you have the skill to come up with something even better than he could."

Lucy laughed and shook her head. Her, better than Loke? No way! Yet, these were the words of someone who had known Loke since preschool, someone who knew how his mind worked, especially being trained in psychology. Capricorn had no reason to lie to her, so it must be the truth. Still, it seemed impossible. How could she possibly surpass the creativeness of a renown man like Loke Leo?

Capricorn chuckled to himself. "You remind me of him when he was younger. Reckless, hardworking, voracious when it comes to the things you like. Perhaps he senses that about you."

Lucy laughed awkwardly and blushed. Obviously, he was overestimating her. Still, hearing it made her tremendously happy. "Thank you. You've made me feel like I can do this."

"I'm sure he's hoping you continue to develop your talent, and he sees this as your chance to truly shine like a star. Maybe," he murmured, "it's because you're like him that he put the moves on you."

Lucy's jaw dropped open. "What? P- … Put the moves on me? What are you talking about?"

He looked up in confusion. "What? Didn't he sleep with you that night after the awards ceremony?"

If her jaw could have dropped lower, it would have. Instead, her heart plummeted. How did Capricorn know that? Did Loke tell him? Were there rumors? Maybe Cana was right and it was obvious.

Oh right … Capricorn was at the bar that night, too. Did he see something?

"I studied psychology, dear. When there's that sort of mood between two people, the odds are high that they'll eventually get together. And I know Leo. He doesn't do things halfway. If he was as interested in you as he seemed to be at the bar, it was obvious to me, as his friend, that he was going to get you into his bed at some point."

"R-Really?" she stuttered.

"Yes, and I knew just from watching him, how happy he's been these past few weeks, that's precisely what he did. Oh, don't misunderstand," he said with assurance. "I didn't hear it from him. He's still hiding it from me, maybe to protect you."

"So then how…"

"How do I know so certainly? Well, many thing. For one, he can't be bothered to take care of someone who's had too many drinks. He's no lightweight, you see. He gets frustrated when those around him start to act drunk. But that night at the bar, he wouldn't let me help you home."

"What? Help me? You?"

"Of course. I offered my assistance and said I'd take you back to your apartment. I am a doctor, after all. Taking care of people is what I do. However, Leo said he'd see you home and quite firmly turned me down. Normally, he'd consider a thing like that a nuisance, but he was watching you quite affectionately. I was actually worried a bit more that he might take advantage of you while you were so drunk. He … didn't, did he?"

"W-well," Lucy muttered. "It was pretty much mutual."

"That's good. I don't know if Leo knew what he was doing at that moment," Capricorn went on, "but he was certainly attracted to you. More than just physically. After all, he went out of his way to care for you, all by himself. He was quite adamant about it, in fact."

Loke was already attracted to her? Was that why he ran after her in the rain when she wandered off drunk, hailed a cab for them, took her to a hotel, and when she said she loved him, he embraced her like that?

All this time, she had thought she put the moves on him when they got to the hotel, and he just went along with it because she was a bit cute. Instead, he had planned from the start to care for her that night, but it was just chance that lead them to that hotel room, where Lucy must have appeared to return his already-developing affectionate feelings. When she threw off her clothes and came at him, he did not push her away, although a part of him knew he should. He was already attracted, and she made it clear that she had feelings for him.

It had never been a _mistake_. He had actually gone out of his way to care for her, something that normally annoyed him, all because…

" _I wanted to make love to you, and I did. There's nothing to regret in that respect._ "

Capricorn smiled at her. "A man like him does what he wants to do and never regrets it."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you a mind reader?"

"Please. I'm a doctor; I don't have any sort of mystical, celestial abilities."

He said that, yet he read her mind so clearly. Obviously, like Loke, Capricorn was no ordinary man. No wonder the two had been friends for such a long time.

"Now, as the company doctor, I insist that you go home and get to bed. Your brain needs rest in order to be creative."

Lucy sighed but nodded. She collected her proposal and let Capricorn lead her out of the building.

"Perhaps another day I can tell you about the time little Loke got detention for talking back to a teacher who was actually wrong about a math problem."

Lucy giggled, totally able to imagine the dashing ginger as being smarter than the teachers and refusing to put up with incompetence. "I'd like to hear that."

"Until next time then, Ms. Heartfilia."

"Thank you for the encouragement, Dr. Capricorn." She waved goodbye and walked to the train station with a lighter heart.


	18. The Secret in the Library

Chapter 18

 **The Secret in the Library**

The next day, Lucy still did not have anything for her proposal. There was no edge, no surprise, and she could not come up with anything. She began to get a sinking feeling of hopelessness. Her friends mentioned that she was looking a lot paler these days.

She went to Fairy Tail's library in the basement. Although most things were on computer now, the company still kept this space, with rows of books and journals, some of it simply not available online. These were old commercials long forgotten, information about products that no longer existed, data on companies that went out of business before Lucy was even born, and the history of Fairy Tail's past work, stuff too boring or obsolete to bother archiving online.

Loke had told her not to be beholden to the past, but she was not getting anywhere. Maybe she could find something of the past that would spark an idea. She was desperate for anything.

The deeper she went into the library, the older the material got. On the very last shelf were records from the time when the company was rapidly growing, a boom in the economy timed with new star employees. There was a file of past proposals, and she recognized the name Precht Gaebolg, the former CEO of Fairy Tail. She saw a thick dossier from Yuri Dreyar, and Lucy wondered if that was the current CEO's father. There was even a treatise on the psychology of advertising on the post-war generation written by the founder of their company, Mavis Vermilion. Lucy really would have loved to read that, but it did not apply to modern audiences. She could not let herself get distracted.

She figured all of this would be too old; they probably did not even use the same buzzwords as modern ads. She was about to give up when she saw a cardboard box tucked away in a corner, almost as if to hide it. Although she told herself not to get distracted, perhaps it had something special. As she walked over and saw the other edge of the box, she saw a name written in sharpie: Loke Leo.

' _No way! Mr. Leo's old works? This … this is a treasure._ '

Lucy dropped to the ground and pulled open the box. Sure enough, there were proposals in Loke's handwriting. The second she saw it, it was like she was struck by a blow to the stomach.

Rejected. And another one: rejected. Another proposal, and a different one. All of them rejected proposals, each of them a gem in her eyes, although rough. She could see how he had not yet polished his work, but he was creative. Oh, he was _very_ good, even back then.

She pulled out an entire notebook filled with writing, ideas, facts, observances, almost pure black from all the writing filling its pages. She found hand-drawn storyboards, scribbles about ideas, lines jotted down as he thought of them. His writing was sometimes neat, sometimes chaotic, the look of a tired hand and frustrated creator. Ideas were crossed out with big, angry-looking X's. At times whole concepts were slashed out so violently, she could see the pen lines etched into the following page from the sheer pressure he put into it, obviously at his limit and furious at his failures.

Despite that, Lucy saw that each of these ideas were from a man who saw the world differently. These were not average proposals. They were ahead of their time. They were edgy and creative. All of the concepts that did not have _Rejected_ stamped on them were things Lucy knew she could never come up with. They were masterpieces showing both genius and the progression toward that brilliance. He had not miraculously arrived at Fairy Tail as a star. He worked hard and fervently to rise to that level.

She noticed a common theme to his proposals, rejected and approved alike. The focus of all of them was not on the product being sold. Normally, advertisers would lift up the product and show how great it was. That was what the typical commercial did. Loke gave all the attention to what was happening _around_ the product.

' _Oh, I remember this soft drink commercial. It told an actual story about a man sent off to the war to fight. We saw his struggles, and the wife at home worrying sick over him. The actual product didn't even appear until the end, when the man comes back home to hug his wife, and his child brings his dad a soft drink. That emotional ending hit everyone. People talked about that commercial for months. It made the product shine, but it also honored both soldiers and the closeness of family. Oh, and there's this commercial about an astronomical event at the observatory, the one that inspired me to become an advertiser. And this commercial, I really loved that one. That's right … I like commercials that make me feel like I've just watched a whole movie. It's merely a fifteen second commercial, but you get to know the feelings of the people in the main character's life._ '

Suddenly, she understood what Loke was looking for.

' _I need to turn how we feel about the GMG on its head. I need to show what the Grand Magic Games are made of. It needs to be a story, a whole movie, that makes the Games into something beyond what the average person thinks. It has to be edgy, surprising, yet engaging, relatable on a deep level. It's not about athletes, but the common human spirit. I get it now. He's been hinting at this the whole time._ '

She discreetly took one of the notebooks and put the rest back in the cardboard box. Lucy clutched the book to her chest like a treasure and hurried back to her department.


	19. Proposals and Fiancées

Chapter 19

 **Proposals and Fiancées**

Days passed, a new week started, and Lucy began to hole herself up in Fairy Tail's basement library with her laptop and notebook. Sometimes Natsu, Levy, or Cana came down to see her, but otherwise, she did not talk to anyone during that time.

On Friday, Natsu and Levy came to invite her to lunch, which she turned down yet again. Natsu furrowed his brow in concern.

"Are you okay?" He poked her shoulder when she continued to write in her notebook rather than look up at them. "You look like you're possessed."

"Are you even going home at night?" Levy asked, also looking worried about Lucy. "Don't tell me you've been sleeping here at the office."

"I'm going home," she assured them. "I have Plue to worry about, after all."

The truth was, she only went home to give Plue food, water, and walk him. She then went straight back to work. A few times, she called her landlord and begged the old lady to walk the dog for her. Although cranky, the woman agreed, since it was better than having urine stains on the carpet. Lucy actually had slept at the office twice.

She had never had so many ideas in her life. Loke's work was so amazing. The notebook she got for the GMG project quickly filled up with rough storyboard ideas, but none of them were quite right. She wrote, erased, wrote more, scratched out ideas, wrote again…

Although struggling to get the perfect concept to take shape, she did not feel _stuck_ like she did before. She was making significant progress, but out of hundreds of ideas, she was searching for that special one, the idea that would blow away not just Loke, but the whole world.

Looking back, she realized she had never made anything that she was a hundred percent happy with. Although she was confident in her talent, anxiety and doubt always hung over her. Deep in her heart, she had known what she was looking for, but she had not yet matured enough to bring out that inner strength and turn it into something creative.

Now, she felt like she could do this. She could make this _awesome_. This was her ultimate chance. Once she was done, she would show Loke first thing.

She skipped lunch, and she did not realize that work had ended. As the clock struck seven, she finished her latest version of the proposal. She printed it out and rushed to Loke's office, unaware of how late it actually was.

She got onto the elevator in the basement library, but instead of hitting the Creative Department's floor, her hands shook with excitement and she hit the first floor. Oh well, she hit the upper level as well. The elevator rose, and the doors dragged themselves open at the first floor, revealing none other than Loke standing in the main foyer.

Lucy grinned at seeing him and began to run over, proposal in hand. That was when she realized that beside him was someone she had never seen before. She came to a stop as she realized they were in the middle of a conversation.

"I'm sorry," said the petite woman, "but it's time for me to go."

"Don't worry, Aries. I know your father has an early curfew for you."

"It was nice to see you again, Loke."

Lucy's heart gave a painful thump when she heard the familiarity in their words. Calling him _Loke_ instead of _Mr. Leo_ had to mean that she did not work there, and whoever she was, Loke knew her father. A family friend? The woman herself was dainty, with pink hair that turned into perfect cotton-like puffs around her shoulders. Her dress was pure white and clung to her shapely body, accenting her cleavage, with a matching white choker and long, elegant white gloves coming up past her elbows. She possessed a simple, polished elegance about her, and she stood so close to Loke, they obviously knew one another very well.

"Talk to the front desk," he told her. "They'll call you a cab. I still have some work to do."

"I'm sorry for the trouble. I just wanted to spend some time with you."

He took her hand. "I appreciate that you came all this way just to see me. I'm sorry that I can't take you out to dinner this time." Then he leaned over and kissed her gloved fingers. "I'll make it up to you the next time I go to your place."

Lucy fell back many steps.

Oh…

Was she…

This had to be _her_ , the woman he was matched up with. The matchmaker story was _real_ , and they were close enough for her to be coming to his place of work. Him saying _this time_ meant she must have come to Fairy Tail before, and he had taken her out to eat. Lucy had imagined that Loke just met some random potential match out of family obligation, but nothing more. It seemed he had continued with the matchmaking without mentioning it to her.

All of Lucy's feelings of elation plummeted into despair. She fled back to the elevator, and her finger trembled as she pushed the button to bring the lift back down and sweep her away.

"I know you've got a lot of responsibilities," the other woman said. "Here, you can have this for dinner. I brought it just in case." She held out a chic paper bag containing some food. "I'm sorry for showing up at your office without telling you first."

"You've apologized enough, Aries," he said, almost sounding annoyed. "It was sweet of you to come."

"Good luck with your work."

Meanwhile, Lucy felt like she was suffocating, and she jammed her finger at the elevator button over and over. Finally, the elevator door opened. She had to get out of there. If she didn't … she…

She was about to press the _close_ button when Loke turned around and looked right in her direction. Their eyes met, and her heart felt like stopping. She simply could not press _close_ now, so she silently watched Loke walk away from the woman and enter the elevator.

"Hey," he said casually.

"Hi," Lucy responded breathlessly as the elevator doors shut.

Certainly, he knew that she had seen the whole thing, but he did not speak about it. The elevator carried Lucy up, although her heart felt like it was sinking down.

"Um … I want to talk to you about something."

His face looked severe. "What?" he thudded out.

Lucy flinched. There was a sharpness to his voice, like he was telling her not to ask about the woman she just saw. She had meant the proposal, of course, but the message was clear anyway. That woman belonged to Loke's private life, and he tried to keep his private life separate from his office life. Discussing her here was off limits.

"I have the new proposal for you. I was heading to your office to show you." Her voice faded away, not sure if that last bit sounded like an excuse for why she happened to be there at that unlucky time.

The coldness in his face faded, and his usual business smile was back. "All right, let's take a look."

When they got to Loke's office, Lucy was quick to take out the proposal.

"Here. I put everything I've got into this concept. This is my very best."

"You sound excited," Loke said, amused as he sat at his desk and opened her file. "I'm curious to see what your _very best_ looks like."

Lucy stood in front of his desk, nervous and eager, struggling not to bounce on her toes like a child. He turned the pages, a severe expression on his face as he examined each one with a critical eye. Standing there watching in silence was unbearable. Was something wrong? Was it still missing something? She completely changed direction again, so there was a high chance that she would have to do the whole thing over again, stick to the original idea more.

However, Lucy knew deep in her heart that the message she wanted to convey was right there. It was the best draft she was currently capable of. If he needed more, she honestly was not sure if she could go higher. This was _her message_ now, and she was prepared to fight for the elements that she simply could not give up, even if it was Loke whom she had to fight.

After looking at the papers, Loke looked up at Lucy. The critical expression vanished, and he broke into a proud smile.

"This is what I was waiting for."

Lucy gasped and laughed at the same time. Weeks of work, and finally—finally—she got the praise she had always wanted from Mr. Leo himself.

"The Grand Magic Games as an event is incredible, and so are its competing athletes. But they're not the only ones involved in this. There's always someone who supports them."

Yes! That was exactly what she tried to show with her proposal. The family, friends, and lovers of the athletes. They were not in the news, nor the stars of anything. However, they were there with the athletes every day, watching over them, placing their hopes on them, supporting them no matter the outcome of the Games. This proposal was no longer about how the athletes interacted with their loved ones, but how those average people looked on and viewed from the sidelines. It was barely even about sports or athletes anymore, and focused on television watchers around the globe.

Lucy leaned over Loke's desk in excitement, pointing at key elements of her proposal. "The GMG happens on a stage that's a world away from the rest of us, but the experience isn't only for the people who go to that stage. Average people are watching it, watching their loved one. They also feel the adrenaline rush. They are there to hug those who make it to the top, as well as welcome back the ones who don't win metals. Friends, family, significant others, and entire villages can all watch as if they're also there, if only in spirit. Youths can dream; the elderly can feel young. Parents watching from home far away, children watching from a classroom television set, coworkers gathered around an office monitor, a soldier watching in his barracks to see his sister participate, elderly people sitting in hospitals, unable to attend personally, one reminiscing about when they won a GMG metal decades ago, the medallion now clutched in wrinkled hands but eyes still bright with memories. _Everyone_ can feel like they're a part of the Grand Magic Games. Everyone can urge that athlete on, even if just through the television. Friendship, love, camaraderie … they are powerful forces, and the more friends—or even strangers who just feel like _I want that person to win_ —the more everyone cheers on, the stronger that 'Power of Friendship' grows."

Loke nodded as he saw the concept written and drawn out across many pages. "Yeah, I like where you went with this. It really strikes a chord with people who might think they have nothing to do with the GMG, and it sucks them in. You hit many triggering emotional themes, too. It leaves a deep and lasting impression. This is great, Lucy."

She blushed when she saw his smile. "Really?"

"Yep! We can make a great campaign with this." He straightened up the pages and tapped them on his desk. "Proposal accepted! Good work."

Lucy felt the tension leave her shoulders. "Th-thank you."

Accepted! And Loke said " _This is what I was waiting for._ " She rose all the way up to his highest expectations. She did it! She was glad she worked so hard on this, and relieved that it was over.

Loke tilted his head to the side and smiled at her. "Would you like to open that bottle of brandy to celebrate?"

"The brandy?" That was right, Loke had a special brandy bottle at his apartment. He had said he would open it when he had something to celebrate. "I thought you were saving it for a special occasion."

"We have the concept for a presentation that could win the GMG account. This really could win it, too," he said, slapping the papers on his desk. "I'd say that's special enough."

Lucy blushed. ' _This could win it? Did Mr. Leo really say that about my work? Oh God, I'm so happy._ '

Loke now gave her the sexy smile Lucy only saw when they were in bed. "Tonight … after this … what do you say?"

Lucy's heart thumped wildly, jumping between self-possession and carnal desire. "T-tonight? I thought you said you had more work to do." The words barely squeaking out of her tight throat.

Loke pouted slightly. "Oh, right. Downstairs." He thought for a moment, then held Lucy's proposal up in the air and grinned. "We have this. Our work for the day is done."

"What?"

"I just checked a proposal that's bound with the agency's future. That's the most important work I could do."

"But—"

When he was talking to that woman, he did not know she would bring him the proposal. Which meant, when he told Aries he still had work to do… Was he lying? He lied so that he could avoid spending time with her, and now he was giving that time to Lucy.

Although the complicated relationship with a matchmaker partner confused her, there was one thing Lucy was sure about; she wanted to be with Loke.

She was also pretty sure that dainty woman did not know _this_ side of him. The tease. The tomcat. Why people at work nicknamed him _the Lion._ Maybe, the same went for the heat of his body in bed, the brandy in his apartment, things Lucy knew that Aries did not. She felt superior, possessive, sordid feelings she had never felt before. She knew she could not stop this, not after what she started with that second night.

Loke waited silently until Lucy raised her eyes, the gleam of desire in them, and nodded yes.

She wanted it.

She wanted _him_.

And he wanted her.

They would both do what they wanted to do, and without regrets.


	20. Baguettes and Brandy

Chapter 20

 **Baguettes and Brandy**

They stopped by Lucy's place so she could feed Plue, take him out walking to poop, and so Lucy could pack a change of clothes. The weird, white dog really liked Loke, wagging his whole body in excitement and licking him. Rather than act grossed out, Loke laughed and petted Plue.

"Who's a good boy? Yes, you're a good boy. You guard Lucy, keep her safe. Yes, good boy!" he cooed.

Lucy covered her mouth to hold back a laugh. She felt warmth in her heart at seeing the man she admired so deeply playing with the pet who meant the world to her.

"You really like dogs," she said.

"I'm more of a cat person, to be honest," he said, still ruffling up Plue's white fur. "However, my family owned some dogs just like this, except with different coloring. They're incredibly loyal animals. Aren't you?" he said in baby talk to Plue. "Who's a good, loyal doggie? Is you a good doggie? Yes, you is!" He laughed as Plue seemed to dance with excitement. "I miss having a pet, but my condo doesn't allow them."

"That's a shame. It took me a long time to find an apartment that allows dogs."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about moving just for that reason. Well, for many reasons, but definitely the next place I live will allow pets."

For many reasons? Lucy wondered what he meant, but then she recalled the woman in the lobby at Fairy Tail. Would he move into a new place to start a family with her? Lucy shoved the thought aside for now, laughing instead as Loke played with Plue.

Finally, Loke realized he was hungry, neither one had eaten dinner, so they went to a store to pick up groceries. Lucy blushed as she walked through the aisles by Loke's side, him pushing the shopping cart, diligently asking her about what sorts of food she liked. She chuckled when he excitedly pointed out his favorite ice cream. She mentioned how much she loved sherbet, and Loke recommended a restaurant he knew with great pastries and desserts, highly praised by a friend of his obsessed with strawberry cake.

They decided upon something simple, just precooked meat, cheese, bread, and a few things Lucy insisted she could use to make a quick, light meal. Loke paid for the food, they loaded the groceries into the sports car, and again they drove through the night. As the streetlights flashed past them, Loke's hand casually reached over and settled on Lucy's thigh, making her blush at the intimate touch. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his, and Loke glanced over to her with a smile that warmed her heart.

Once they arrived at Loke's place, Lucy borrowed his kitchen to make a few things they could eat.

"Sorry that I had no food," Loke said as he helped to sort through the grocery bags. "I tend to eat out mostly these days. I rarely use the kitchen."

Although he said that, and Lucy glimpsed that his refrigerator was mostly yogurts and beer, still the kitchen was clean, the utensils classy. She felt nervous even taking a plate down from the shelf, since she was certain each item must have cost a lot.

While she cut slices of roasted chicken and various cheese for appetizers, she realized that Loke was standing right behind her.

"Looks good," he said, and he reached around her to snag a bite-size piece of chicken.

"Can't you wait until I'm done?"

"But I'm hungry," he said with a pout.

Lucy giggled. "Oh, Mr. Leo!" There was a refreshing innocence about him that she had never seen before. It was charming to watch him act like a boy and not like her boss.

"That cheese looks good, too." He began to reach forward, and she batted his hand away. "Hey, what are these? Tomatoes and some herb?"

She glanced over to a platter she had quickly whipped together. "Oh, that's caprese canapés. Slices of baguette, tomato, a slice of mozzarella, and fresh basil."

"A woman's cooking! It even looks better."

"It's not much, really," he said modestly. "It's something I usually bring to potlucks."

"Potlucks?" he said in surprise, and Loke thought about the idea. "Fairy Tail's never had one of those. We should host one so I can eat more of your food."

"Fairy Tail is a bit high class to be hosting a potluck."

"Not if the food is like this." He tried to snag another piece of roast chicken, and she smacked his hand away again.

"I'll have to cook you something for real next time. You can barely call putting a slice of tomato on top of cheese, or slicing up pre-baked chicken, cooking."

"A dinner cooked by you? I look forward to it."

Her cheeks began to burn. Without realizing it, they had just promised to see each other again. However, Lucy finished with the _hors d'oeuvres_. "There. I'll carry these into the other room."

"I'll help," he immediately offered, and he took the plate of meat and cheese. Lucy saw him pop another piece of chicken into his mouth, and she chuckled at _the Lion's_ playful side.

They took the plates to the other room, where Loke had already set out the brandy.

"Are you sure about opening this?" Lucy asked, feeling bad about using such fine alcohol on something like this. The bottle looked expensive and had an elegant design on the label.

"Do you not want any?"

"It's not that. I'm worried you'll be wasting it. You've been saving it for so long."

Hearing that, he gave her a funny smile. " _Saving it_? Not really."

That made her blush. Okay, maybe that came out weird. "It's … it's just a proposal for the ad. Doesn't it make more sense to save it for when we win the account?"

"We'll go somewhere good with the whole team when that happens. Tonight, it's just the two of us."

Her heart skipped a beat at hearing him say that. Meanwhile, Loke reached for the bottle of brandy and slowly opened it up.

"Whoa! That smells so good," Lucy said, already sniffing something floral and fruity. She heard Loke chuckling and saw him politely trying to hide his mouth. "Er, sorry. I guess that wasn't very sophisticated of me."

"Don't be. I really like your forthrightness." He poured two snifters and handed one to her. She cautiously took the bulbous glass, worried if it was as fragile as it looked. "Cheers," he said, clinking his glass against hers, which showed her that these snifters were sturdy enough.

"I'm nervous," she admitted, staring down at the amber liquor.

"You haven't had it before, so go slow when you take your first sip." He sniffed the glass, then brought it to his lips. Lucy watched precisely how he drank it. "This really is good. It'll spoil you for brandy for the rest of your life."

Lucy brought the drink up, and the rim of the glass went above her nose, inundating her with the smell of fruits and wood and a hint of marshmallows. She knew nothing about brandy, but even she was enchanted by the bold fragrance.

"Here goes," she muttered, and she took a cautious sip.

The alcohol felt hot in her throat. It was like toffee and confection sugar and cigars and flowers and dried fruit, a sophisticated taste that lingered long after she swallowed. She realized that Loke was already drinking his with ease as he ate the caprese canapés she made.

"You really enjoy brandy, don't you?" she said, charmed by how relaxed he looked.

He hummed in agreement. "I used to drink beer and wine, I even had a taste for sake for a while, but these days, this is what I go for."

Lucy took another tiny sip. She could not drink it as fast as he could, but it was not as harsh as she had been expecting. On the contrary, it was smooth and warm.

"So, what do you think?"

She held the glass out to look at the color. "It's funny, I didn't think it'd be for me, but it's sweeter than I was expecting. I like it."

"That's good. Sounds like we can enjoy it together from now on." He finished off his glass and poured himself another.

' _Together … from now on … What is he saying exactly?_ '

Although his words made her happy, she also got a mental image of the woman she saw by the elevator, the petite pink-haired Aries in her tiny, white, fluffy dress. She was clearly from a well-to-do family, brought up impeccably. It was obvious she was the one Loke was set up with and was considering marrying, yet he did not seem to care that Lucy saw her.

Wasn't it more normal to be worried that your lover had seen the woman you were considering marrying? Or was Lucy barely even that? Was she worthy of him being concerned that she saw Aries and him together? Did it not matter to him if she saw or not? Was she not that important after all, just someone from work that he fucked from time to time?

Suddenly, she could not taste the brandy anymore as her mind went into a dark place.

"Lucy?"

She looked up abruptly. "Oh, sorry. It's my first time drinking something so strong. Maybe I'm tipsy already."

"You're not," he said with a smile. "I've seen you tipsy. I've seen you thoroughly drunk, as well." She pouted that he was teasing her about that first night again. Instead of pestering her more, he picked up the proposal from the table. "You know, this idea is really great. I like your theme: 'Dreaming with someone you love.' Focusing on the people who watch over the athletes and the matches. The athletes don't fight their battles alone. Reading this moved me."

"To tell the truth, I didn't think of that on my own."

His eyes widened. "Did someone help you?"

She tucked her head down. "You could call it help, or inspiration. I've been holed up in Fairy Tail's library."

He nodded but looked suspicious.

"There, I found a cardboard box full of your old work."

"What?" he said, visibly shocked. Lucy had never seen him look so surprised before.

She looked down at the proposal, thinking about how, in a way, the spirit of Loke's past had guided her toward this inspiration. "The man I've long admired was in that box. Ideas that worked, ideas that were rejected, they were all there. I got a glimpse into your inner thinking. I wanted to work at Fairy Tail because of the observatory commercial you did."

"That's right, you mentioned that during our first night. Still, that's troubling. My old work," he mused. "How did a thing like that make its way to the library?"

"It was in the very back corner of the room. You didn't put it there?"

He shook his head. "I do remember putting everything into a box when I was given my current position and a new office. Maybe an admin made a mistake, thought it was important paperwork, and had it moved to the library instead of recycled."

"Oh, don't recycle it! It was genius."

"It was trash," he grumbled.

"Not to me. It was lucky that I found it. I was surprised by how many ideas were rejected, though, considering how famous you are for your commercials."

Remembering back then, what must have been years ago, before Lucy joined Fairy Tail, Loke set his glass down and smiled to himself. "Back then, I'd write proposal after proposal, but none of them were any good. I'd stay late every night and fill my notebooks until I could barely make out what I had written. It was mostly garbage, but I'd hold onto those old notebooks. Sometimes, ideas cycled back around."

Lucy thought about how she did most of her work on computer, rarely using notebooks. Loke had been old-fashion in that respect. Lucy could fill a document with ideas and easily delete them. She only used notebooks when away from her computer, or when she needed to write and drawn at the same time for storyboarding. She realized, she normally recycled those old notebooks. Loke had held onto them up until he was promoted to Creative Director and would never need them again. One thing Lucy learned from this was that even the rejected ideas were worth keeping around. Even if an idea was not good for that particular task, it could be what she needed later on.

Lucy picked up some cheese to eat. "It's hard to imagine now, you writing something that'd get rejected."

Loke also helped himself to food. "No one starts out with the ideas flowing freely. I would worry every day if my ideas were any good, like you are now. Mmh, these are really good," he said, chewing the caprese canapés. "I was just starting out when I made that commercial that you like."

"The observatory event?"

He nodded and ate some more. "No one liked it. They all kept saying it was too sappy for a commercial about a local event."

"Well, I liked it. I felt like I was watching a movie. I recorded it and watched it over and over again. It changed the way I thought about the world."

He swallowed down some of the roasted chicken. "You told me that on that night, too, albeit less articulately."

She blushed and pouted. Less articulate … because she had been drunk. Still, it meant she had really wanted him to know about that, and how much he inspired her.

"I know you don't remember," he said cautiously, "but … it made me feel like all the work I put into that commercial back then was finally getting recognized. I really wanted the observatory account. You see, astronomy has always been one of my great passions. I used to dream as a child about being an astronaut and going up into the stars." He blushed at talking about some silly, cliché childhood dream. "But no one thought the commercial was that big of a deal, just one astronomical event, hardly worth the bother. _You_ found it, though. You found my first commercial, the one that nobody showed any interest in. That made me really happy."

Loke had such a pure smile. There was no teasing anymore, no tricks. He even looked a little bashful, and it made Lucy's heart soar. It was such a strange feeling, something she had never felt before in her life. She held her hands to her heart, so amazed that she was the one who managed to validate his determination, his creativity, even if it came many years later. She was the one who cared for his first work. From the very beginning, in a world that hated commercials, he had a fan in her.

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, still looking boyish and flustered. "I guess it's strange for me to say that now, after all this time."

"Oh! No, I'm happy, too. I'm happy that I found a commercial that could affect me like that, and I'm glad you made it. I've always loved the observatory. Your commercial reminded me of going there with my mother. It was a memory that made me cry and smile and remember some good times I had with my mother. It touched my heart deeper than anything I had experienced on television before."

"Hearing you say that makes me want to develop a commercial again."

"Dr. Capricorn said that, at heart, you're a player and a creator."

"He did, huh?" he said, looking bashful again. "That old goat, always snitching on me, ever since preschool."

She always thought that Loke was a world away from her, something celestial that she could never hope to reach. She had thought that ideas came to him naturally, like he was blessed with genius by the stars themselves. The more she got to know him, the more she realized that those were illusions. The real Loke was actually awkward, but he covered it up with lots of effort. All of those notes sticking out of the papers she found proved that he struggled to reach this point in life.

She heard him speak, "We're the same, aren't we?"

Lucy jolted out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

He was looking into his brandy glass. "I know what people want from 'Mister Leo,' so I give it to them. I don't let the image crumble. In reality," he said, and he drank the last of the amber liquor, "there's nothing special about me."

"That's … that's not true!" she insisted, although it took a lot of effort for her to get the words out.

He poured more brandy into his empty glass and watched her tenderly. "I know what you're feeling when you get excited about your work. When I look at you, it's like I'm looking at my younger self."

Lucy's mouth dropped as she recalled what Capricorn had told her.

" _You remind me of him when he was younger. Reckless, hardworking, voracious when it comes to the things you like. Perhaps he senses that about you._ "

Loke went on, "Desperate to meet everyone's expectations—the people around you, as well as the people who watch the commercials—thinking you're not good enough, and covering it up with more effort and work."

"Were you like that?"

He did not answer, but he smiled. "I like that about you."

Like that? Did he mean merely her work ethic, or did he mean something more? What was he feeling? She could not read him at all.

They looked at each other silently. His green eyes were piercing from behind his glasses. Lucy felt like a lamb transfixed by the hypnotic stare of a lion. She was about to say something but her elbow knocked over a glass of water on the table.

"Ah!"

"Oops!" Loke swept the glass up before it rolled off and broke. "Are you okay?"

"S-sorry."

"At least it wasn't the brandy. Did you get your clothes wet? Hold on, I'll get you a towel."

He leaped up and disappeared into the bedroom. Lucy stood and began to follow. Her feelings were getting so intense, she did not know what to make of them. All she could do was follow her instinct, and that led her to the bedroom. She peeked in and saw Loke by an opened closet.

That night, in this room…

She looked at the big bed and remembered their second night together. Erotic memories returned, making her feel flushed. She was about to turn away when her eyes caught sight of something inside the closet.

Aries' chic paper bag. It looked so cute and out of place in the masculine apartment with solid colors, firm lines, and minimalist décor. Lucy thought about that petite woman, and she looked away with jealousy.

She had not seen Loke carrying the bag with him when they left the office, nor putting the groceries into the car. He must have hidden it from her sight as they brought the bags of food up, and then slipped away to the bedroom to stash that bag here, where she would not see it. If it was something he hated, he would have left it in the office, but he took it with him and hid it away for later. It was that precious … _she_ was that precious, that little lamb of a woman all dressed in white, hiding her gift away as if Lucy might stain it with her immorality.

She remembered what Loke told her when she had asked about the rumors of his engagement.

" _It was just an omiai, a traditional matchmaking arrangement. We were introduced to each other as perspective marriage partners. Nothing more. We might get married, we might not. Gotta admit, it's not a bad arrangement. It'd help me get a promotion._ "

If it was just a meeting with some prospective marriage partner, that would have been the end of it, yet here they were, weeks later, and he was still seeing that woman. Not only that, but she was coming to Fairy Tail to give him food … already like a good, attentive wife. If he was no longer considering the possibility of marrying her, there would have been no reason for Aries to come to his workplace. She was obviously from some old-fashion, traditional family, considering they had her attend an _omiai_. In families like that, a woman did not meet up with a man late at night unless they were serious after the future.

Lucy pulled back, all the warmth of the brandy now bitter in her throat. There she was, accepting an invitation to Loke's apartment for drinks and sex, and he was thinking about marrying someone else. She had known early on what he was planning, she had now even seen the woman herself, yet still, she came to his bedroom like this. She had been in such a dreamy mood a moment ago, but all at once, she was brought back to harsh reality.

Just because they had this relationship, it did not mean that the arrangement he had with that other woman disappeared. Maybe he was going forward with the engagement and felt he did not need to tell Lucy about it. It was his private life and none of her business. He had glared at her so sternly in the elevator at work, silently warning her not to ask about it.

She repeated to herself, it was none of her business, it was part of his private life, and what she thought, what she felt, had no place in his private life.

Her emotions cooled off, leaving her a bit dazed. Meanwhile, Loke pulled a towel out of the closet.

"Mr. Leo?" She was unsure if she finally spoke because she was feeling guilty, or because she wanted him to close the closet containing that colorful paper bag.

He turned around. "Hey, what is it?"

She opened her mouth, but it was like she lost her voice to a sea witch.

' _I can't complain. Mr. Leo doesn't owe me anything. In fact, he was in the middle of something with another woman when I stumbled into his life. I'm the one who should be yelled at for getting in his way._ '

She felt so down now, she did not even feel like asking him about it anymore. She lowered her eyes and struggled to soothe her aching heart. She wanted to know what Loke was feeling, but she was afraid that if she went there, everything would come crumbing down. She could not bring herself to ask and risk it.

He said they were _the same_ , but were they really? Saying _we're the same_ implied intimacy. She should be happy, but at that moment, his words hurt. How was she the same as him? He was prepared to marry a woman he barely even knew, all for a job promotion, whilst keeping an underling from work as a mistress. Lucy balled her hands into tight fists as the idea of such a thing rankled her. If it was her, pretending to feel something to achieve a goal would be too hard. Her emotions were too intense … and too fragile.

"If you and I really are the same, it must be hard for you, getting married for the sake of a promotion." She made sure not to say it with sarcasm or spite. It was the simple truth.

Twice in that night, she stunned him, making his eyes widen and his mouth drop. Still, she knew a truth about him that probably no one else knew, a side of him no one else had yet seen. She had witnessed the cold expression he wore when she saw him with Aries. He had not looked warmly at that woman, and she had even heard a flicker of irritation in his voice.

' _He has to pretend like he has feelings for her that he just doesn't have. She may be precious, but Mr. Leo has no intention of falling in love with her. Would he put on an act for the rest of his life? I couldn't! I simply could never do that._ '

Although startled by her words, Loke managed to compose himself again. "Hard for me, eh?" He slowly moved away from the closet and sat on the bed. "What makes you say that?"

The emotions surging in Lucy's heart made it difficult, but she forced herself to answer. "Earlier … before … it looked like you were in a bad mood."

"Before?"

"Before you got in the elevator."

His eyes widened, merely a slight move, but Lucy caught the expression change. She realized, she had grown sensitive to his every gesture, yet still she could not figure out the most important answer: what was he feeling?

Even the bed where he now casually sat … to Lucy, it was a special place that brought back memories of their night together. Was it the same to him? Part of her wanted to ask him to make things clear, but part of her feared that doing so might mean this _thing_ they had together would have to end.

' _Are we a couple?_ '

No, surely they weren't that close. She quickly brushed away that faint hope.

' _I'm not his girlfriend. Am I just his employee? Boss and employee … no, I think we've strayed far from that path. So, what are we? Lovers? Fuck buddies? I don't know a word for it._ '

Their relationship was so complicated now. Living with the ambiguity was too hard, yet she feared that if she tried to label it, it might be lost forever, like a fairy that vanished if you captured it.

' _Can I continue with a relationship I can't name? Is that even for me?_ '

Loke seemed slightly shaken by the mention of the elevator, but he quickly hid whatever he was feeling with a forced smile. "You're bringing _her_ up. I wasn't expecting that. You're pretty interested in her, aren't you?"

"I…"

"Are you not in the mood tonight?"

She stopped her words at the sudden shift in direction. She wanted to clarify things before falling into his arms again, and yet part of her didn't. Even if it was too complicated to slap a label on it, she wanted this thing between them to continue a little longer. She wanted _him_. She ached to feel him again, both in body and in her heart.

Lucy strode over to the closet and slid the door closed, shutting out _that woman's_ presence. Then slowly, flirtatiously, she sway up to the bed and between Loke's knees. His eyes gleamed as her hands combed through his ginger hair. He not only looked aroused, but relieved. He snatched up her hand, kissed her knuckles, then licked between the spaces, thrusting his tongue through her fingers.

"Come here," he purred.

She knew they were dodging the issue: Aries, Loke's bad mood earlier, Lucy's own emotions and worries, they were ignoring it all, yet neither one mentioned it again.

' _I can live with complicated. If clarity means that this relationship ends_ …'

The feelings of possessiveness and superiority Lucy felt before coming to Loke's apartment, and the ugly feeling of jealousy she felt toward what was on the other side of the closet door, were all shoved aside. Lucy did not want to deal with dark things that night.

She wanted his warmth. She wanted his tongue on other parts of her body. As he began to undress her, and she stared down at him, she knew that what she really wanted at that moment was purely physical.

Emotional things had to be discarded.

Maybe Cana was right: " _Just don't get too emotionally involved. Otherwise, you'll only get hurt._ "

Maybe some things were not allowed between them. Maybe jealousy and possessiveness were forbidden. Maybe emotions were better left out, and the shared connection, the commonality of carnal desire, was all they needed. As Loke kissed her bared belly and groped her breasts through her bra, she knew one thing.

This! This was allowed.

' _If our relationship became something forbidden, I'd have to discard this feeling completely. That day will come, but for now … for now…_ '

She had once called Loke a sneaky scoundrel. The words came back now like a boomerang.

' _There's a scoundrel in me, too. I'm the same. I know this is wrong, but I don't care. I don't care that he could be getting married one day. I need him, now, in this moment._ '

Loke pulled back and looked up at her in worry. Her shirt was off, his was half undone, his hair a mess from her clutching fingers, yet in those lust-blown eyes, she saw gentle concern. She was not reacting the same, not moaning at the faintest touch like before. She was colder, and he could sense it.

"Should we call it a night?"

Her body ached for him. "Don't stop." The words tumbled from her lips in a whisper so soft, she was not sure if he could even hear it. However, he wrapped her up in his arms and rested his head on her breasts as if in answer.

"If that's what you want."

' _Scoundrel_ …'

She needed this. Her heart was in chaos, her mind had to force itself to shut down, but her body—no— _her soul_ needed this. Whatever this tragic, complicated _thing_ was, she needed it that night, and for as long as it could last.

He let her bra drop and lost himself in her breasts. Lucy closed her eyes, shutting out everything, and finally she moaned at the skillful touches of his fingers plucking her body awake. She pressed up against him, feeling the lump in his trousers harden up as she rubbed him through the fabric. He whispered things as he sucked and tugged on her nipples until she squirmed with need.

"Please," she begged.

He slid her underwear down, she climbed onto his lap, and he lowered his zipper. As she slid down to fill up the emptiness, she knew one thing.

They were the same.

They were both scoundrels.

'… _don't get too emotionally involved._ '

She shoved emotions aside as she focused on the pleasures of her body. If she was just a mistress or fuck buddy, she could live with that tonight, feeling him thrust up into her, feeling his hands grabbing her hips and tweaking her breasts. As she watched the pleasure on his face, she could focus on simply this, him alone, and not the world he lived in beyond her reach.

He truly was still something celestial and unobtainable, but for tonight, she could accept that.

"Damn, Lucy," he groaned. "So tight."

She could accept the pleasure he gave her, and the fact that she could make him this aroused. She could focus on the tingling in her body, him pounding up into her, the aching in her thighs and tenderness of her breasts. She could think only about his tongue as they switched positions, she laid on the bed, he crawled between her thighs, and his mouth went down on her. She could focus on just him and the nerves coming alive from his burning licks.

"Oh God!" she gasped, clutching his hair and pressing his face in closer as her body trembled.

"Yes, Lucy. Let me hear you."

"Ahh!"

'… _don't get too emotionally involved_.'

It was just an orgasm. You didn't need emotions to have an orgasm.

He raised onto his knees, his mouth still wet from her. "Lie back, knees up." She obeyed, and he gazed down at her relined body. "So beautiful." Then he pressed into her again, easily sliding inside. "Oh God, you're so wet."

Focus on sex. Focus on pleasure.

"There. Right there. Harder."

Enjoy the physical. Enjoy the sex. Enjoy simply having fun together.

"Oh God, yes. Ah! Ahhh!"

"Shit. Lucy!"

She watched his face in his last frantic struggles, the flush, the gasping mouth, and felt him bursting inside of her. She watched the tension turn to relief, how his muscular body sagged, and then he looked down at her. Those eyes were so tender, and as he touched her face, his smile was so pure.

 _Don't get too emotionally involved!_

She could enjoy the physical without getting emotional.

She could!

"I'm glad you came here tonight." He leaned over and gave her a tender kiss. "I want to see you more."

 _Don't get…_

… No … She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. As she stroked her fingers through his hair and felt the lingering buzz of pleasure through her body, she realized that she had already fallen too deeply in love with him to be cold about this.

She loved him…

He had a fiancée…

No matter how she tried, that fact made her burn with jealousy and ache with sadness. It made her want him even more, and made her feel dark with guilt. So long as he planned to marry another woman, what could Lucy be besides _the other woman_ to him? Even if emotions got in the way, there could never be a lasting future for them. She would always be nothing more than a mistress.

It would always be about good sex, not a good ending.

For now, _good sex_ was all she could have with him. If that was the case, she was not going to hold back. She took his hand and pulled it down between her legs.

He smirked at her boldness. "Do you need more?" he asked, rubbing his fingers around her.

Yes, she need more. More than sex, more than physical, yet she was unsure if that little bit extra even existed for him. It terrified her to think that perhaps it didn't, so for now, more sex was the only thing she could be greedy about.

"Keep at it until I pass out," she demanded.

His eyes gleamed at the challenge. Oh yes, he was not about to back down from that request! His fingers dipped in, and immediately he groaned.

"You're drenched in my cum. Damn, I love to feel you coated with me."

She just wished he would say _I love you_. Yet he never did. Even as he finger-fucked her into three more orgasms, then had her ride on top until they both came again, then continued to pleasure her in every way he could invent, making her moan and whimper and scream, never once did he say those three words.

Then again, she never said them either. She was scared that emotions were not allowed in this complicated thing they had. Worse, she was terrified that he would scold her with Cana's same words: _don't get too emotionally involved._

If Loke ever told her that, she was pretty certain her heart would shatter irreparably, and she would have to call this off to protect herself from misery. She didn't want that! She wanted to stay by his side, whatever that meant. If it involved merely staying in his bed, she would enjoy his warmth, indulge in his body, pleasure him as fiercely as she could, make this the best sex he would ever come to know, and kept those emotions silent in her heart.

Maybe she could not be emotionally uninvolved, but she could be emotionally silent.

He failed in his challenge. He passed out before her, dropping onto the pillow in utter exhaustion, muttering that he could continue after a little rest, and yet plummeting into deep, somnolent breaths in mere seconds. Lucy was smug as she slipped away to shower off sweat and semen, feeling like a victorious lioness. She might not own his heart, but she could ensnare his body. She would make this the best damn sex ever! She would make him _crave_ her.

When she returned and slipped into the blankets, Loke rolled over and grabbed her.

"Lucy," he sighed in his sleep.

That feeling of superiority fizzled out. He could hold her like this after sex, but never any other time. She could come to his home for drinking and sex, but never for just hanging out, cuddling on the couch, watching a movie with a large bowl of popcorn and chocolate candies. She could never hear Loke sigh her name like that or feel his protective arms unless it was coming here as a mistress, or fuck buddy, or whatever she was.

Not a partner. Not a girlfriend. Never could she be that.

Her heart ached, and tears dripped down her eyes. She opened her mouth to say those three words, but she could not bring herself to do it. Saying those three words only after he was asleep and could not hear her was cowardly. She refused to be that sort of woman. She would say it to his face, or not at all.

The problem was, what would happen if she confessed? He had a fiancée!

Why did he have to be engaged? Why did he have to be a world away from her?

Why did she have to fall so deeply in love with a man who could never be hers alone?


	21. Burning Truths

Chapter 21

 **Burning Truths**

With the proposal approved, work on the campaign was set to full steam ahead. Gray came up with a script to match Lucy's concept, and they sat together through many lunches, chatting together and working on the creative side of the project. He had a way of sculpting words that impressed her, and his work made her concept come to life.

Natsu arrived frantic one morning. He had been chatting with a friend who knew people in Sabertooth, and apparently their team had already begun to shoot the Grand Magic Games commercial. Ordinarily, they would not start filming until they got the job, but considering how major the account was, Sabertooth was not merely going to impress the client with a good budget and creative proposal; they were going to show off precisely what they could do. Although it was a risk, Loke made the decision that Fairy Tail should do the same, and he began work to arrange for shooting the commercial as soon as possible. Lucy called agencies to find actors, while Freed made sure the budget for film equipment did not go over what money they had been alloted.

Lucy sat in the break room, mindlessly stirred her coffee, and sighed. Although the workday had ended, she was still finalizing arrangements for the shoot. She had decided to work in the break room for a change of scenery, when Cana walked in.

"Oh, hey Cana. Leaving?"

"Soon. I heard you pulled off a concept that impressed even Mr. Leo, and you guys are ready to start shooting. You should be the happiest person in Fairy Tail right now. People are saying you're Mr. Leo's star protégé."

"Aww, thanks—"

"So, why the hell are you moping around here?" she snapped. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"It's … complicated." She forced a smile as Cana sat across from her.

"What's complicated? Do you mean _him_?" Just like Cana and her _boy_ , Lucy could never refer to her relationship with Loke by his direct name. "You and your boy should be doing great. You have an excuse to openly spend time together at work. I'm rather envious of that fact. I can't see my boy until after hours."

Lucy glanced around, but they were the only two in the break room. She figured it was safe to talk now, but she still kept her voice soft and her words vague. "No. The lines would blur, so we're keeping our relationship professional while we're at work. I'm not clever enough to pull it off otherwise."

Cana let out a quiet sigh. "I didn't think anything could make you happier than having a relationship with the man you've long admired, but I guess I was wrong."

"If I could say he's my boyfriend, I think I'd be very happy." She looked down into her cup of coffee. "I didn't think I'd want that so badly."

"A boyfriend? What are you, fifteen? Who cares about _boyfriends_ when you have a smoking hot lover!"

"No, I mean definitiveness." Lucy thumped her head down onto the table. "I don't know where I stand in his life, and I'm too cowardly to ask."

Cana poked the back of her scalp. "At least you're together, no matter what you call it. That's not so bad."

"It's not _good_. It's already this late in the game, and I know now … I can't keep going on like this. Although I knew at the beginning that this was just a fling, something wild, crazy, impulsive, now … it's changed."

"Did something happen?"

Lucy lifted her head up. "He invited me over."

"Oooh!" Cana leaned forward, ready for juicy details.

"Yes, for that," Lucy whispered, blushing slightly. "I wanted to ask him what I am to him, but he evaded the question." She stared down into her coffee and muttered, "We both evaded it. I think both of us didn't really want to put a label on this."

"But you and him are enjoying it, right? So why complicate things by slapping on labels? Can't you keep things the way they are?"

"If it were you, would you be happy like this?"

Cana gave a shrug. "My boy is married. I knew where I stood from the start, and I'm fine with it. It's what we both wanted. The fact that he has a wife at home … that's his problem. He wanted this as much as I did, so it's none of my business that he feels forced to stay in a relationship with someone who doesn't satisfy him. I give him what he needs, I get what I want, and that's enough for me. I'm not ready for marriage, I'm not looking to settle down any time soon, so why bother thinking that I could with him? He's good to me, we're awesome in bed, and we're having fun. That's more than enough to make me happy."

Lucy smiled, but it frustrated her that Cana could be so at ease with this sort of thing, while she was an emotional mess.

Cana rested her chin in her hands. "You're giving up right from the start. Okay, so your relationship isn't normal, or even clear. There's a mystique to ambiguity."

"Before we slept together, I _never_ would've accepted a relationship that's purely physical."

"And now?" she asked.

Lucy shook her head in weariness. "I don't want to complicate things, yet I want clarity. Even though I know that won't make me happy, I need to know where I stand."

"Why? If you've had this complicated relationship the whole time, and you were okay with that, how come you want definition now?"

"Because…"

The truth was, she had known for a long time. At first, she admired Loke. Then it grew. It was not long before it turned into something else. Her love for him grew as she got to know him in ways no one else knew. Every time he touched her, she loved him more and more. Her heart ached with love, jealousy, and loneliness. A purely physical relationship without emotion was no longer enough for her.

She could never be satisfied with just having his body. She wanted his heart, too.

"But," she answered to herself, "his heart isn't mine to have."

"You want love," Cana deduced. "Okay, I get that. Do you really think there's no chance that he's in love with you?"

Lucy bit her lip. She had not told Cana that Loke might get married. To him, marriage was a means to a promotion. If he was that flippant about something as monumental as getting married, how could he possibly be serious about her?

When Lucy fell silent, Cana tenderly patted her on the head. "From what I gather, he wants a purely physical relationship. Sorry to say, but you _can't_ get emotionally involved in these sort of affairs. If you want love, and he's not in love with you, you'll never feel satisfied. Any relationship will only bring you pain if you can't enjoy it for what it is. If you're not enjoying it, then why bother?"

Lucy knew Cana was just worried about her, but that advice struck her ears as dark and heavy. It hit her where it hurt worst and left her wanting to curl up and cry.

Lucy and Cana finished talking, and Lucy took her work back to her desk. Everyone in her department was gone for the day, but she saw Natsu waiting for her at her cubicle with his arms folded.

"Hey, Natsu. What's up? I don't see you in the Creative Department too often."

"Oy, what was that about?" he snapped, looking angry. Lucy may have known him since childhood, but rarely did she see Natsu furious.

"Huh?" She flinched at just how stern he appeared, with his sharp eyes narrowed and blazing. She had a bad feeling about what was coming. As kids, they used to joke that Natsu had the nose of a dog and the ears of an elephant. He must have overheard her and Cana!

In typical Natsu fashion, he spoke the words bluntly. "Are you sleeping with Mr. Leo?"

Instead of panicking, Lucy stood her ground. No one was left in this part of the office, but she still grabbed his hand and pulled him roughly over to the window, where they could talk and not be overheard by someone passing by in the hallway.

"It has nothing to do with you," he said in a stern whisper. "And don't you _dare_ say something like that at work again. Do you want me to get fired?"

"You sure wouldn't get fired if you're fucking the boss."

"Natsu!" she hissed. At least his voice was quiet, but hearing him saying those words within the walls of Fairy Tail made her heart thump in dread.

"I've known you your whole life," he said, and the anger turned to worry. "I can't watch you become that sort of woman."

"That sort?" Lucy scoffed. "You're exaggerating."

"You're sneaking around with your boss, going on dates, _sleeping_ with him," he said, nearly shouting, but managing to keep his voice down. "How is that an exaggeration?"

"We're … we're not going out on dates. We're not dating." The words and reality choked her.

Again, he went from angry back to worried in a flash. "Then what are you doing? You know the office rumors, why we call him _the Lion_. He's a playboy, and now he's playing with you."

"There were only rumors that he dated a lot. They were never more than gossip. Most of them were quickly discovered to be false."

"Lucy," he said with a sigh, and now his face really did look anguished. "Don't tell me you're just his toy, his booty call, a text and you run off to sleep with him."

She hated to be called that. She used to think people like that were despicable. Was that the label she was seeking? Booty call? Fuck buddy? No! That wasn't her, it _wasn't_!

"At least tell me he loves you."

Her mouth dropped, and Lucy found she could not answer him. Loke had never said those words, and there was the fact that he was still engaged, he had not called that off despite hooking up with her. Was there any emotion at all, or was it truly all physical?

Natsu went right back to anger and spit out the next words. "Dammit, Lucy! I can't believe you're so _desperate_ you'd be your boss's fucktoy."

"Hey!" she snapped. "That's not it."

"It _is_!" he yelled back. "You're not dating, he doesn't even love you, he's using you—"

"No! No, that's not … it isn't like…"

But it actually did describe their current relationship. They were not a couple. They were not just boss and employee. Loke might be getting married. Her relationship with him so far was just as Natsu said, a call and she went to him, fulfilling their carnal needs with one another. But long-term goals, romance, love? None of that belonged to them.

Just sex. That was it.

Lucy always thought things like booty calls were a world away from her prim and proper life, but here she was, a call or text and she came to him for the night. Even if it was not what she meant to have happen, she realized that was precisely what her relationship with Loke would look like to anyone else.

' _I thought that was the one thing I could never do, but I got so swept up into his world, into the_ _celestial world_ _of Leo the Lion._ '

"Just so you know," Natsu said, his anger simmered and replaced with spite, "a fucktoy doesn't get promoted to a girlfriend. I've seen it, and it never happens. That guy isn't serious about you, and he never will be. You're deluding yourself. His world is way beyond yours or mine. If he ever does settle down, it'll be with a woman at his level, and knowing his ambitions, it'll be a match to promote himself socially."

That stung even deeper as Lucy pictured the dainty woman in a white dress again. Aries was one of those lofty sorts, just like Loke. He would rise higher with her. Marrying her could land him a promotion.

What did Lucy have to offer, besides her body?

"I … know that," she muttered, sinking into the despair of reality. "I know better than anyone. I'd never be his girlfriend, let alone his bride. I know how ambitious he is, and I'm just … me," she said in self-loathing.

"You're enough as you, Lucy," Natsu assured her, and he held her arm. "You're more than enough for some of us." He bit his lip at that and looked away. "If you already know, then straighten this out before you're hurt worse. Put an end to it."

She pulled back from him and shrugged off his hand. "It's none of your business. I know what I'm doing."

"Could've fooled me," he muttered. "You're serious about him, and he's just having his fun with you. He's a Lion playing with his prey. One day, he's going to move on to fresher meat, toss you aside, and you'll get hurt, your dreams of being his princess all banished, the end."

"Don't say it like that," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Lucy, I don't want you to have to go through that."

"I'm fine how I am. No regrets," she insisted, repeating what Loke had said.

"You're lying to yourself, but you can't lie to me. I've known you—"

"You don't know _me_."

She stomped to her desk, aggressively stuffed her work into her bag, and ran from the office. Down in the foyer, she came to a screeching halt.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she groaned.

Just wandering in was the petite woman again. Aries looked like a lost lamb as she timidly stepped in. Their eyes met, and Aries smiled in relief.

"I'm sorry, but do you know if Loke is still here?"

Loke. Not Mr. Leo. She said his name with such familiarity. "No, I don't know. His secretary is gone for the day. I could call him—"

"No, he's not answering his phone, or even his private cellphone," Aries said with a sigh. "Do you think it would be okay if I went up to his office?"

Spite filled Lucy. How dare this woman invade the one place where Loke could be hers alone! "I'm sorry, but you need a badge to enter the elevators. I can't swipe you in or I might get into trouble." That was all true, but in her mind Lucy was snarling, ' _Stay down here, you bitch_. _'_

"Oh, I don't want you bothered. I'm sorry. I can wait for him."

' _I hope you wait all night and he never comes._ ' "Perhaps he's in a meeting. We're preparing for a commercial shoot."

"Yes, that's what I need to talk to him about," Aries said, wringing her hands worriedly.

Lucy lifted an eyebrow. Why on earth would this elite woman need to talk to Loke about shooting the commercial? Just what was she? How could marrying her get Loke a promotion? Lucy wanted to know, and yet she feared that knowing would make things worse.

Just then, she heard the elevators ding, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Natsu stepped out. Lucy definitely did _not_ want to argue with him again in front of Loke's fiancée.

"Oh, that's Natsu. He's on Mr. Leo's team. Maybe he knows where Mr. Leo is."

"Oh! Thank you. I'm sorry for bothering you." Aries gave her a prim bow, then trotted off to Natsu. Lucy fled just as she heard Aries apologizing to him and asking where Loke was.

Outside of the Fairy Tail building, Lucy gave a long, deep sigh. Of all the people to bump into! Seeing that woman again made her bad mood even worse.

Could she be like Cana and continue sleeping with Loke even after he married that sweet woman? No! Definitely not. So far, he was just considering marriage. He might decide against it. If he actually married, though … that was something completely different. A purely physical relationship was one thing, but adultery was something she absolutely could not lower herself to.

Lucy trudged through the streets to get to the station. As she calmed down, she realized that she needed to admit to herself, what Natsu said was true. It was a casual hookup. They were two people filling their loneliness by sharing pleasure.

Although calling that a booty call or a fucktoy felt extreme, wasn't that precisely what a booty call was? No emotions, just pleasure, sex for fun, no attachments. It wasn't _wrong_ to want that, it was what Cana preferred in life, but Lucy had already been thinking from the very beginning…

It wasn't what she wanted. Not really.

The casual sex hookup simply was not for her. She had known that all along, but she avoided thinking about it. Now, as her emotions for Loke grew stronger, she could not keep this casual. She could not ignore her emotions, including feeling hurt every time she thought of Aries. This was emotionally damaging to her, and it made her feel sick at night.

Perhaps it was time to put some distance between them.

She sighed as she realized, it was what she should have done from the very beginning. Instead, she drew it out, letting her loneliness and lust override her logic. That had been a mistake, and now it was already hurting her.

' _I can't keep doing this. A call and I go to him._ _D_ _on't get too emotionally involved._ _But … I can't_ _help it_ …'

Her phone buzzed, and she saw it was Loke. She rejected the call and hurried on her way. Not even a minute later, his number appeared again, buzzing, and she slammed the bright red Reject button. She simply could not bring herself to pick it up. She could not talk to him when she felt like this.

"If you can pick up your phone to call me, you should call back your adoring little fiancée, you scoundrel," she shouted as the phone buzzed again, and she again rejected the call. She earned a few stares at that, but Lucy didn't care.

Alone, she walked through the station gates and headed home.


	22. Slashed

Chapter 22

 **Slashed**

Every time Loke called, either at work or when she was at home, Lucy reluctantly stopped herself from pressing the Accept button. His messages were always brief. He wanted to see her. He could have seen her any time at work to talk about the project. If it was important, he could have left a better message, or called her into his office, or send an email detailing any issues.

Obviously, he meant that in a _different_ way.

She did her best to avoid him around Fairy Tail, dodging out of his way, losing herself in the crowd, once when he seemed like he wanted to catch the elevator with her, she hit the Close Door button on him, then chuckled to herself as she saw his stunned face just before the lift took her down to the lobby.

Then one day, he called her to his office. She knew this was going to be awkward, but if he was calling her into a meeting, she had to go.

She opened the door, ready for him to demand an answer as to why she had been avoiding him. Instead, she saw Natsu, Freed, and Gray all there as well. Loke sat at his desk while the others stood lined up in front.

"Lucy, sorry to call you away from your work," he said, speaking in his _director voice_ again. "I know you've been busy."

"Oh, no problem, sir," she said, trying to sound casual yet respectable. Busy … sure. He had to know that the reason she refused to answer his calls was not because she was _busy_. "What's going on?"

He waited until she took a stand with the other three. Usually, Freed seemed to know what was going on before the rest of them, and Lucy had always figured that since he and Loke were old friends, Loke told him about the inner workings of this endeavor before sharing it with the rest of the team. This time, Lucy looked to Freed for a clue, was this good news or bad news, only to see a crease in his forehead showing that he was just as confused as the rest of them.

Loke began with a forced calmness to his voice. "This is, of course, about the Grand Magic Games campaign. The budget we were given for the ad has suddenly been cut."

All of them stiffened by the shocking news, and the mood instantly grew tense.

"The budget was cut?" Freed said, his eyes widening. Finances were his department, after all, so this was a blow to his well-crafted budget.

"Where did this come from?" Natsu cried out.

"You flame-headed idiot," Gray grumbled. "Obviously it comes from the city planners who give us the funds."

"That's right," Loke said. "Since the games are hosted in Crocus, the city is paying for this ad, and now they want us to cut our budget in half."

"What?" Freed shouted, the first time Lucy had heard him yell and it _wasn't_ at someone who broke company rules.

"Half?" Lucy cried out. "But we already got things rolling based on the original budget."

"I know," Loke said, and his voice somehow stayed calm although the rest of them were in a panic. "Freed already calculated what was needed and how much everything would cost. We've been preparing for production based on that figure. However, this is our client's decision. There's nothing we can do about it. Nothing we can say at this point will change our instructions."

"True," Lucy murmured. Although it seemed unfair to slash the budget that drastically with no warning, it was also not uncommon. Still, it meant they had to make some major revisions, and just days before they were supposed to start filming. Based on the budget, Freed would have to come up with a new plan for the entire account. Natsu would have to renegotiate the production expenses and TV spot costs. Lucy had to rework the casting and locations of the commercial to be within the budget. The way she had envisioned it, they really would have needed _everything_ in that budget.

Perhaps they could have cut a few corners here and there, but to slash the budget by _half_ … it was sadistic. Could they redo everything and still make it on time?

The team was speechless. Even Loke seemed slightly flustered.

Lucy thought about all that work she had been putting in. She drafted the proposal, she drew the storyboards, she chose the cast and shooting locations. She was the only one who could explain this to the staff. She balled her hands into fists and roused herself to action. She had put in the most work in the creative areas, where expenses were easier to adjust. TV shot costs were pretty much set, but actors and equipment could be flexible. It was easiest for her department to bend and adjust on this issue.

"I'll find a new cast who can work using this budget," she declared.

Everyone looked over to her. Loke had a somewhat troubled expression, but there was also a light in his eyes.

Natsu warned her, "You can't do it alone."

"I know," Lucy said, "I may not know anything about securing a TV spot, or the media buying costs, or how to create a budget, but _no one_ knows production costs like I do."

Loke smiled at her. "That's right." Their eyes met, but what Lucy saw behind those glasses was pure pride. "First, we find a new cast and new supplies that work with this budget. We've already begun on the demo shoot, so we don't have a lot of time."

"Okay," Lucy said. "I'll handle everything I can."

Gray laid a hand on her shoulder. "If there's anything I can do … my script doesn't really need to change, not if we keep to your vision, so I can lend a hand."

"Thanks," she said, grinning at him. "I'll let you know. I can come in tomorrow and get things going."

Gray cringed. "Dammit, I can only do mornings on Saturday. I have a hockey game later that evening."

"Then help me in the morning. You can leave messages with talent agencies and cancel reservations on locations."

"Don't worry," Loke said firmly. "I'll come in tomorrow, too. I can't make it in the morning, but I can arrive around noon. I have a feeling we'll be at this all weekend long, so the more hands we have on deck, the better."

Lucy was mildly surprised, but the others were more shocked that the Creative Director himself would leap into the fray like this. Rarely were workers called to work on the weekends, but this was no time to complain. The budget had been reduced, which meant it would not work with Lucy's original vision. Still, they had to maintain high quality. Lucy thought about what Capricorn had said about Loke being more of a player than a director. It was time for all of them, even him, to get their hands dirty as they rescued this project from such a brutal slash.

It was determined that for now, Loke and Lucy would be handling the production side of things as a duo, Gray would add support where he could, and Natsu was headed to Crocus to talk to television stations and cook up new deals with ad spots. For the rest of that Friday, the team brainstormed how to salvage what they could. Lucy worked with Natsu, pouring over graphs. She and Freed had lunch together, where he went into more details about the new budget. Then she went back to her desk. Of course, this was not the kind of thing that could be fixed in a single day, but she could get a start making lists of all the people she needed to call over the weekend. There was no time to waste.

Deep inside, she was proud of herself. She had stood in front of Loke and did not get flustered. She had focused on the job at hand. She still admired him and her heart still fluttered whenever their eyes met, but she knew when to be professional.

When her phone rang and she saw it was him, she once again rejected the call.

"If you need to talk to me about the project, you can leave a message," she muttered. Lucy focused back on her computer, not about to let her love life get in the way of her job, not when the hopes of everyone in Fairy Tail rested on their team pulling through this disaster.


	23. The Rooftop Club

Chapter 23

 **The Rooftop Club**

The following day, Saturday, Lucy and Gray sat in the Creative Department of Fairy Tail, busy at work. He had taken a seat near her cubicle so he could make calls and see who on Lucy's list was the next person to get pissed off at them.

"Yes, I know," Gray said, unconsciously fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. "We're within time to cancel with a full refund, right? I know … yes, I'm sure this is hard for you, and it's sudden, but … no, ma'am, I don't want a lower rate on rooms. Something came up and we're canceling the entire trip. No, lower rates can't change our mind. Thank you. Yes, we need that refund. Thanks. Sure, you have a good day, too. Bye." He hung up and groaned. "This sucks. Getting checked into the boards in hockey is less painful that this."

Lucy was jotting down notes on someone she had just called. "I really am grateful, Gray. So, refunded?"

"In full," he said, stretching his arm out. "Hey, you want anything to drink?"

"Coffee. It'll be a long day."

He pouted as he looked at her. She had been on the phone when he arrived, although he came in so early. She had been going about it nonstop for hours, making numerous calls from an empty office on a Saturday morning.

"So, what do you usually do on weekends?"

Lucy looked up, shocked at the personal question. "Sleep in, catch up on TV, not much."

"Any sports, hobbies, places you like to go?"

"The observatory, whenever they have special events. Also the dog park. They have a nice food cart nearby, and Plue loves to play."

"Plue? Is that short for Pluto? Cool name for a dog. So, no boyfriends?"

She raised an eyebrow. Was Gray actually hitting on her? "I'm not really dating anyone at the moment."

"Not really?" he caught. "So there's someone?"

"It's complicated," she said guardedly.

He laughed and walked over to a coffee machine against the wall. "I know _complicated_ really well. I don't want things to be awkward between us, and I'm not trying to harass you or anything, but if you ever want to go out and do more than watch your dog play, let me know."

Lucy stared at her notes with a numbed mind. Gray was the top guy in his section of the Creative Department, perhaps even second only to Loke. Some whispered that if Loke ever got another promotion, Gray would be the one to take over as Director. He was well-respected in the industry, another person Lucy had come to admire while working there.

How would she normally have reacted to find out someone like him was at least _interested_ in her? Shouldn't her heart be racing, or her cheeks be flushed? Instead, all she could think about was how sad it was that Gray actually wanted to go out on a date with her, whereas Loke had never offered to take her anywhere but to his bedroom.

If she took him up on his offer, would Loke get jealous?

She shook her head. She did not want to be that sort of petty woman. Before even considering what to do about this, she had to clear things up with Loke. First, she had to keep focused on the task at hand. She picked up a phone and dialed the next number on her list. When Gray brought over a cup of coffee, she smiled in thanks but barely looked at the way he was watching her, how his eyes tried to glean some sort of emotion, any sort of reaction to his offer. With a sigh, realizing that she was a focused woman now and his offer had come while she was stuck in something complicated, he went back to his seat and also picked up a phone to make more calls.

"I know. Is there any way you could … I understand. Thanks anyway." Lucy hung up and crossed yet another company off her list. Another call that did not go her way.

Of course this was going to be a challenge. Who would rent a studio for such a ridiculously low amount of money? At the very most, Freed could allot her department, any studio would be taking a sharp loss.

She had spent the entirety of Friday apologizing to actors and casting agencies. She could not expect the cast she originally wanted to accept the new budget. She had to look for a new cast of mostly undiscovered talent, a smaller studio, and somehow find a cinematographer. She was restarting all the negotiations from scratch.

Across from her, Gray was still apologizing to companies they had to cancel on.

"I really am sorry," he said, although he was looking less contrite as the time passed and more annoyed at the same angry reactions. "We'll keep you in mind for our next project, but with the client cutting our budget we simply can't afford … wait, how low? I'll tell you what, I'll write down your offer and give it to our finance guy. We'll get back to you. Yes, thank you for being understanding." He hung up and wrote down a note. "Makeup artist, I think Freed is going to like the deal she's making us. Apparently, she mostly wants the job for exposure, so she's dropping her rate and is willing to change locations to accommodate us."

"I'm glad at least you're having some luck," Lucy sighed, looking down the list of studios and agencies she had called and crossed off. "The job is for the Grand Magic Games. You'd think unknown actors and cinematographers would _jump_ at the chance."

But they had to be good. There was no point in requesting someone if the quality was not there. Good actors and good equipment cost a lot, and she was working with an extremely minimal amount of money.

Lucy sighed and sank her head onto her desk. "What am I going to do?"

Gray reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're brilliant, Lucy. You'll figure this out, and you have the rest of the team to help you."

She looked over at his hand, such cold skin touching her. Gray seemed to realize and yanked his hand back.

"Well, I'm leaving on a positive note," he said, and he stood up. "Sorry to leave you with all this work."

"It's fine," she said, managing a smile. "I'm thankful you came in at all. It was a huge help."

"Mr. Leo should be here soon."

Just then, the elevators dinged and a voice said with melodious warmth, "Mr. Fullbuster, Miss Heartfilia, good afternoon."

She jolted up and looked around with a twist in her stomach. Although still dressed nice, Loke had foregone the tie and had his shirt partly unbuttoned for comfort. Lucy had been avoiding him for over a week, and with Gray leaving, she knew this was going to get awkward.

"Perfect timing," Gray said with a relieved smile. "I feel like crap leaving her here alone, so I'm glad you'll be able to help."

"Leaving already? Oh right, hockey," he recalled. Loke's eyes flicked between the two. "Did you two have a good morning?"

Lucy gulped, thinking about Gray's offer to take her out sometime. Did Loke already suspect anything?

"I think it went well," Gray said, glancing down at the seated lady. "If you see Freed, the makeup artist is giving us a really sweet deal. I think we won't get a better one without hiring someone's little sister."

"I saw him earlier today. I'll let him know. Don't get too beat up on the ice. We'll need you at full strength Monday morning."

"I just have to win my game," Gray said with a chuckle. "See ya two." He looked down at Lucy. "I hope your dog isn't upset that it can't go to the park today."

She gulped and looked up at him, seeing those eyes staring down at her. Then Gray turned swiftly away and went to the elevator. As the doors closed, he gave Lucy a wink and a smile.

Loke went to where Gray had been sitting. "Looks like you two got a lot of work done."

She just had to act professional. They were still at work, after all, even if it was the weekend. This project was more important than her flustered feelings.

"Yes, we got through a lot," she said. "Gray should be almost finished canceling groups, and I'm in the middle of calling new companies to see who will work for the revised budget."

"Ah, yes. I've been doing that, too. It's tough going," he said with a sigh. Lucy realized that it looked as if Loke had barely even slept. Had he been up all night working on this issue? "Makeup artists are one thing, but it'll be a miracle if _any_ studio would accept such a low budget."

Lucy knew that was true. They needed to hire someone desperate enough to take such low pay. Meanwhile, they could not hire complete unknowns. Lucy was near the bottom of her list of studios, and so far no luck. They were nearly out of options.

"It's like I said yesterday," Loke told her with a grim expression. "This is the Crocus Metro Government's decision. I was on the phone with them for days as soon as I heard rumors that they might slash the commercial's budget, and I even went down there personally just before I announced it to the team, hoping to explain our own situation. No use," he sighed. "We have no choice but to follow their instructions regarding the budget."

"I know," she muttered. "The client is allowed to change these things at any time. There's nothing we can do about it."

"But," he added, "we can't make anything good without an initial investment, either. Is that the list of companies?"

Lucy held up the paper. "Yeah. I crossed off the places that said no and put triangles next to the ones that I'm still negotiating with."

"Good. I was in the middle of talking with an old friend. I promised I'd get in touch with Aquarius first if any major jobs came along, but she can be rather … mercurial," he said, as if that was putting it lightly. "I'll finish Gray's list while I wait for her to call me back."

They were not making eye contact, but Lucy found that simply talking with Loke, hearing his voice, being casually this close, brought her heart some relief. She had expected things to be awkward, but he was so motivated, she got sucked into the brilliance of his energy. The doubts and anxieties faded away.

Together they split up the work of arranging all new shooting locations, equipment, and casting. Lucy knew of a few companies that she used for smaller jobs in the past. Considering the circumstances, she gave them a call. After all, what did she have to lose?

It seemed Loke was thinking along the same lines. After canceling the last of the companies, he pulled a worn-out business card from his wallet and placed a call. Lucy realized, normally this sort of groundwork would be done by lowly employees like herself and Gray. Now, the Creative Director of Fairy Tail was humbling himself and asking companies for help.

Watching him, seeing the determination in his eyes, Lucy realized just how important this project was to him.

She got back to the phones. After a few more rejections, she had a surprising conversation.

"Lucy!" a chirpy voice said on the other end.

"Hi, Millianna. Long time no see."

"Yeah, long time. Are you still doing cat food commercials?"

"Ah … um, not quite," she said, blushing as she thought about those first months at the job and trying to make commercials with cats all around. "Actually, we're working on a presentation for the GMG."

"The Grand Magic Games? Whoa, that's huge. Fantastic!"

"Thank you. It was great working with you before. I'm calling because I'm in a pinch."

"Do you need cats?"

"Um, no. I hate to ask this, but…" She explained what was going on, hiding nothing, and the associate of Mermaid Heel Stage Productions listened sympathetically.

"You were so flexible with us," said Millianna. "You chose us for your commercials, even though we were a small, all-female company."

"Oh please! It's hard to find a reliable production company to work with. Mermaid Heel was one of the best."

"That's so kind of you to say. Listen, we're working with another division of Fairy Tail at this moment. They already reserved a studio, but something came up and they rescheduled for two weeks. I couldn't book that place, so it's open to use. It's not huge, but it should work fine for what you're describing. If you can put together a cast by next week, you can use it for free, as a gesture of gratitude for helping Mermaid Heel get to where we are."

"Oh … oh wow," Lucy gasped, and her mouth dropped. A free studio meant she could spend more money hiring a better cast.

"When you get the Olympics account, use us when you work on the campaign, okay?"

"Of course!" Lucy said in excitement. "Thank you so much. I owe you."

"No, we still owe you from last time. This will make us even. Feel free to set this up once you get everything else sorted out. Sounds like a lot of trouble for you, but I know you can do it. You're the best out there, the cat's meow!"

"That's exaggerating," Lucy laughed. "But thanks. Really, this is a lifesaver. I'll be in touch soon."

She hung up and sank back in her chair, relieved that at least one thing turned out right, and even better than she ever could have hoped for. Just then, Loke's private cellphone rang. Lucy vaguely heard the conversation, much like hers, explaining the trouble, with him practically begging for help.

"Yes, that's right. I know, Aquarius, but … what? Really?"

The excitement in his voice roused Lucy from her slouch. She could see from his face that he got a positive response. There was relief, many thanks, exchanged compliments, and finally he hung up. He turned to Lucy, and a smile burst out like the sun.

"That old friend of mine from Spirit World Talent Agency. Looks like we have our TV stars."

"And I think I just got us stage equipment. We can also use the studio free of cost."

"Free?" he gawked. "Studios cost over $300 an hour. How on Earth did you manage to get one for free?"

"I worked with Mermaid Heel when I first started out. They were a brand new studio back then, all-female. I was fresh out of college, so working with ladies my own age put me at ease. No flirting, no harassing, no scowls from men who think they have to explain your own job to you. They do really good work, and the associate I spoke with just now was sympathetic. She feels like she owes me, so since she had a studio freed up, she said we could use it."

"Awesome. Same here, a business from my first days in the industry. These people are always coming to my rescue, and now they're doing it again." He looked fondly at the Spirit World business card.

Coming to their rescue? That was how Lucy felt as well. It was like all the jobs she had done up until that point were helping her now. Everything she had done had been for _this_ moment.

"Well, I need a break after all this," Lucy said, and she stretched out her back as she stood. "I'll get something from the vending machine. Want a drink?"

"I have my own." He stood up, also stretched, and saw a wall clock. "Wow, is it really that late? I feel like I just got here. I'm going to take a short break as well."

"Great. I'll be right back."

She left to the break room. She had thought only she and Loke were in the entire building, yet she saw the back of a familiar man, with his long green hair tied back, punching in the numbers on the vending machine.

"Mr. Justine?" she asked hesitantly.

He turned around, shocked for only a second, before nodding to her formally. "Miss Heartfilia, hello. So, you came in today as well? Mr. Leo is also here to work on the project."

"I was just with him. We made some good progress, so we're taking a break."

"I see." He crouched and grabbed his can of coffee from the vending machine. Then, he turned to Lucy as if he had just thought of something. "Hey, would you like to come up, too?"

She blinked in confusion. "Um … sorry? Come up?"

Freed chuckled and popped his can of coffee open. "I think you're in for a treat, Miss Heartfilia. Follow me."

Lucy got herself a drink, and Freed waved for her to follow him to the elevator, taking it all the way to the roof. Lucy stepped out with a feeling of uncertainty, until she saw that Loke was already up there with a snifter glass in his hand. Her heart beat faster as she watched him comb back his orange mane with his fingers, then take a sip of what she knew had to be brandy.

She had never seen him drink at work before. It was sometimes allowed, like Cana's beers, but it was generally discouraged. The breeze carried the scent of dried fruit, toffee, and alcohol, reminding her of the last time they were together, the brandy they shared, and the love they made that night.

He turned around, momentarily surprised to see her, but then he saw the green-haired man as well. He relaxed and gave them both a nod.

"Mr. Leo! Wh-what are you…" she began to say.

"I'm taking a break," he said casually. "I'm surprised Freed brought you up here."

"We ran into each other," Freed said with a shrug. "I hope you don't mind, Loke."

"Not at all."

Lucy was startled for a moment at hearing Freed, the most uptight man in Fairy Tail, calling the Creative Director by his first name. Then she remembered, they had gone to college together. It seemed they managed to remain friends, although they worked in different departments.

Freed pulled a flask out of a coat pocket and poured whatever it was into his canned coffee. Lucy realized, she had never seen the two of them talk to each other casually like this before. Now she almost felt like she was intruding on friends.

Loke took another sip and gazed out at the cityscape. "Do you know about this place, Lucy?"

She gulped, realizing it was the first time he had called her by her first name while at work. She had been trying so hard to keep distance between her work life and personal life, and definitely, this sort of informality was blurring those lines.

She relaxed her throat and asked, "What do you mean, sir?" She purposely added that _sir_ to keep up her side of the formal division she wanted to maintain between them.

"It's where the Rooftop Club likes to take breaks."

"The Rooftop Club?" she repeated.

"To be honest, it's just three people right now: me, Freed, and Capricorn."

She could hardly help but giggle softly. Was this high school, three naughty boys who escaped to the roof to smoke and drink? Still, the mood between them was more relaxed than it was when they were in work mode. It was a nice to see them like that, but she strongly felt that she could not join them. This was their special place, and she did not want to intrude.

However, Loke made room for her. "Why don't you join us?"

She bit her lip and held back. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah. You don't mind, do you, Freed?"

Freed also moved aside and waved for her to come to the railing. This picturesque scene, calling each other by first names, being invited to stand there with two old school buddies as they drank alcohol, like she was simply hanging out with these two top directors in their respective fields, felt like it would blur the lines of her professional career life even greater.

Still, she nervously walked forward and stood between the two of them as they drank. She squinted as she looked out at the city. The sun was sinking into the horizon, bathing the streets of Magnolia in orange light.

"Wow. What a pretty sunset!"

"It's refreshing, right?" Loke whispered.

"Yeah. Seeing something as beautiful as this, I already feel re-energized." She turned to Loke, but she found his face to be a lot closer than she thought it would be.

"Yes … beautiful," he said in agreement.

Lucy blushed and immediately looked away toward the setting sun. It had been a long time since they talked about anything other than work. However, Freed was there, so she knew she had to act normal. She desperately tried to think of something to talk about when Loke chuckled.

"Strawberry milk? Really?"

She realized his eyes were down on the carton in her hand.

"What? I like strawberry milk."

Freed casually commented, "Milk has a relaxing effect. Doesn't it make you tired?"

"Nope," she insisted. "It wakes me up."

"That's something a kid would drink," Loke teased.

"I'm an adult, I can drink whatever I want, and if I happen to like strawberry milk, then I'm going to drink my strawberry milk." She took a drink as if protesting against them.

Loke laughed openly, and she watched the shape of his mouth, the smile creases on his face, and the way his eyes shined. "Okay, okay, you can have whatever you want. I'm sure it's fine as long as you don't stuff yourself."

"As least I'm not drinking booze on the job."

"It's a weekend, and I'm fine with a little libation. Unlike you, I don't get drunk from a single glass."

"Hey! I'm not _that_ much of a lightweight."

Freed smiled down at her. "You were quite amusing that one time."

"Oh!" she huffed. "That was different."

"Indeed, it was a special night," Loke added, only vaguely hinting at the night that started it all. "Now we know to set a monitor on you at the next company party. Perhaps I should ask Capricorn to follow you around and water down your drinks."

She punched him lightly on the arm, and all three laughed. Just like that, the awkwardness she felt around Loke melted away.

He looked back out at the setting sun. To Lucy, it almost looked like he was also a sun, with that orange hair burning brightly by her side. She never wanted to see him slip away from her.

Yet wasn't he about to anyway? If he married, then like the sinking sun, the warmth would vanish, leaving her heart in darkness.

"I really am glad we found this," he whispered. "As brief as it may last, it's still a wonderful thing."

Lucy wondered if he was talking about the sunset on the rooftop, or each other.


	24. Two Scoundrels

Chapter 24

 **Two Scoundrels**

They finished their drinks, left the roof, and returned to work. As night settled in, Loke ordered takeout, and they kept on working. With all three of them making calls and hours of rewriting plans, they managed to finish the work around dawn.

Freed had to be roused from a nap with his face pressed against the desk, and Lucy felt worn out from twenty-four hours without sleep. Loke left to the parking garage with Freed, worried for him and urging him to take a taxi home, while Lucy went out the front doors into a city still cast in partial darkness.

She checked her phone and realized that the trains had not started up at this hour on a Sunday. She figured she could kill some time, maybe catch a nap in a café…

"Lucy!"

Just as she was turning to go, a familiar car pulled up, and she saw Loke from the passenger side with his window rolled down to shout at her.

"Get in. I'll drive you home."

Her mouth dropped. "But…"

All she could think about was that day in the rain. She had been running late, desperate to catch the last train, ready to sprint to the station, when Loke pulled up, just like this, and invited her into his car. That was the night they had truly started this _thing_ between them. If she got into that car, she was certain it would be a repeat of that night.

Did she want it? Yes! And no.

As she hesitated, her stomach gave a loud growl. She went bright red with embarrassment, and by the raised eyebrow, she knew Loke had heard it, too.

"S-sorry," she muttered, holding her stomach. Of all times!

He just smiled at her, and his eyes shined through his glasses. "Maybe we should get a bite to eat. I'm a little hungry myself. There's a place I really like that's open this early. We'll have some breakfast, then I'll take you home. Nothing else." He rolled his eyes and confessed, "Frankly, I'm too tired for anything else."

He sounded honest, so Lucy opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat.

The _place_ Loke knew was not some high-end café as Lucy had expected. It was none other than a McDonald's drive-thru.

"Breakfast at McDonald's?" she exclaimed. "That's what you really like?"

"Actually, I'm a huge McNugget fan," he confessed. "Always with mustard. Though barbecue sauce is good, too."

"What are you, twelve?" she muttered, and she heard him chuckle softly. "Actually, I like the food here, too. I ate it a lot in university."

"I practically lived off McDonald's while in uni," he confessed.

They ordered food, found a place to park, put their orders on their laps, and chowed down on egg McMuffins and chicken nuggets. It cracked Lucy up, that Mister Loke Leo, Creative Director of Fairy Tail, was into McDonald's fast food.

He smirked over at her. "You think it's funny that I eat things like this?"

"It's cute," she confessed.

"Cute," he muttered, dipping another nugget into his plastic container of mustard. "Not the word you'd normally use to describe a grown man."

There was a bashful look on his face she had seen once before, and it made her chuckle while her heart blazed.

"After an all-nighter, fast food tastes great," he insisted as he popped the nugget into his mouth. "Maybe that's why I ate it so much in uni. I got a bit fat, too, so I had to take martial arts to help me lose the weight."

He kept surprising her, and the more he opened up like this, the more attracted she felt to him.

' _I said I couldn't do this. I said to keep my distance, but … right now … I really wish…_ '

Loke finished his food and turned the wheel of the car to head toward Lucy's apartment. Their conversation turned to work.

"Thank goodness it seems like things will work out," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry you were stuck dealing with it, though."

"Don't be," he said, focused on the road. "In a sense, this is _my_ battle."

Lucy raised a curious eyebrow. How was it his battle?

The morning sun gave the car's interior a warm glow. As he drove through the quiet, empty, Sunday morning streets, Loke murmured.

"I … owe someone a debt. Someone who helped me when I needed it, back before I was promoted."

"Who?"

"The CEO of Fairy Tail himself, Makarov Dreyar. He helped me out of a serious jam, and to repay him, I made a promise that I'd take Fairy Tail to number one." He looked straight ahead at the road in front of them with clear, determined eyes. "I keep my promises, no matter what!"

Lucy had no clue what to say. She could only stare at him as he drove. She remembered the conversation from their team's night out, what Loke and Natsu had said.

* * *

" _The idea that we could win this account and become the top ranking agency in the kingdom isn't a pipe dream._ "

" _It takes an ambitious man to get to where you are, sir._ "

* * *

Maybe this was why he had that boyish look on his face. People throughout the company thought it was all about Loke's ambition. It wasn't! He was doing all this to make good on a promise he made, a debt he owed to the CEO.

"Maybe I am a scoundrel," he said out of nowhere.

Lucy jolted. "Huh?"

"Even if it's for a promise, there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. I've done some selfish things, telling myself it was all for that promise, all for the sake of Fairy Tail. Even the idea of keeping my promises, it's all a matter of hubris. In the end, I got this presentation for myself. It was for my pride, and I dragged all of you into it. Like a scoundrel, I was focused on myself and not on the people who should matter most to me."

He stopped the car, and Lucy was startled to realize that they were already at her apartment. He turned to stare at her, and his face was solemn, even a little concerned.

"Do you want to see this scoundrel's face anymore?"

His words cut straight to the hesitation and doubt Lucy had been feeling for days.

She once called him a _sneaky scoundrel_ , yet since then, she had seen the scoundrel in herself as well. She had been turning a blind eye to things, making her possessive feelings toward Loke seem important.

"I'm a scoundrel, too," she stated.

He smiled, and his eyes shined behind his glasses. "During this short time, you've become quite a woman. I … admire that about you."

There was something sad about the way he smiled. He surely recognized what she was doing, the distance she put between them, not taking his calls, avoiding him in the morning. The way his face seemed to debate but finally come to a conclusion, she could tell that he planned to respect her feelings and leave it at that.

"Tell me if anything changes," he whispered, as if this was a secret now that they had to hide even from each other.

Lucy turned away. Struggling with her heart, she opened the passenger door and climbed out. She paused with one last moment of hesitation before finally shutting the door behind her. When she turned around to him, her face was calm.

"Thank you for taking me home, Mr. Leo," she said formally.

His reply was just as professional. "I'm sorry to work you so hard, Miss Heartfilia. Get some rest. I'll … I'll see you at work."

He tipped his head to her, then drove off. As Lucy watched the car drive away from her in the glow of the morning sun, she felt like a hole opened in her heart.

If he really was a super ambitious, totally selfish, horrible man who only cared about a promotion, she felt that she could just hate him and feel better. It wasn't like that, though. He did not give her that sort of easy conclusion. Instead, he looked like the proverbial lion with a thorn in its paw, sad and pathetic and in pain.

The scoundrel! How dare he look so cute when he was like that!

Even as the car disappeared, Lucy remained standing there, frozen for a while, feeling ready to cry. She thought if she put distance between them, these chaotic feelings would go away.

They wouldn't. Not that easily. Not after how deeply she had fallen for him.

Now it was over, and she wondered how long it would take to heal from this pain.


	25. The Lion and the King

Chapter 25

 **The Lion and the King**

They managed to hire a new cast and get studio equipment with the slashed budget. A new date to film was set, along with locations. Lucy was glad to see things moving along smoothly now. She felt like she could focus more, and when they had a Tuesday team meeting, Loke was perfectly professional, as was she. She even let Cana and Levy know, _that thing_ with Loke was over. Although they were both worried, she smiled and assured them, she was okay.

She was going to be okay.

A week later, Team Leo went to the offices of Crocus Metro Government for their last meeting with the city officials before the final competition. Luckily, the meeting went smoothly from start to finish. Lucy's and Gray's practice presentations were nearly perfectly, except Lucy had to figure out how to use the remote control for the projection screen. Natsu used printouts to explain the new time slots, and the officials were glad to see that the commercial would still hit a target audience. Freed had a slide show of graphs as he went through all the detailed expenses, and the officials were impressed that they managed to work with their limited budget. Loke made sure the logistics of the final presentation were in order, including good equipment to show the finalized commercial for the judges, and remote control instructions available ahead of time. They apologized that Lucy got confused and made sure they would have a simple remote on that day.

"Is this everything you will be needing for the presentation, then?" asked one of the staff.

"Yes, thank you," said Loke.

"This is exciting," the young staff worker exclaimed. "This is the first time we've done anything like this."

Lucy felt the energy in them. For these weary city officials, a competition of any sort must be a highlight of their year, and one so important to Fiore's reputation for the whole world was definitely making energy buzz in the Crocus offices.

They were all standing around saying goodbyes when there was a knock at the door.

"Is the meeting over already?"

As a huge man with an impressive mustache walked in, the city liaisons straightened their posture. Loke also stood straighter, but when Lucy glanced over for cues on how to act for this stranger, for a brief moment she saw a severe look on Loke's normally calm face.

Did they know one another? Lucy felt like she had seen this mustachioed man somewhere, maybe on television.

"My king," Loke greeted, and he bowed. The whole team instantly bowed along with him.

Lucy's face was to the ground as her heart began to race. ' _Oh crap! That's the king? He's a lot taller than he looks on TV._ '

"My old friend," the huge man greeted. "And the rest of you, pleased to meet you. Thank you for coming all this way."

Etiquette now prevailed, and Loke was the only one ranked high enough to speak to someone like him. "Thank you, King, for taking the time to see us. It's an honor."

"The Grand Magic Games will be important not only to Crocus, but to all of Fiore. We've always worked with Sabertooth in the past, but I'm excited to see what Fairy Tail presents to us."

The king had a massive, almost scary smile as he held his hand out to Loke. The ginger Creative Director returned the smile, but there was a stiffness in his handshake.

"So … Loke," he said, completely done with formalities. "About another matter."

Lucy jolted, and so did everyone else, when the king himself called Mr. Leo by his first name.

"When should we hold the engagement ceremony for you and my daughter, Aries?"

Lucy clamped her mouth tightly to keep from shouting, but it seemed Natsu was not so reserved.

"Engagement ceremony?" he burst out.

The king gave a slight grunt. "Ah, sorry to bring this up during a business meeting. It's just, I'm so busy. This is the only moment of free time I have."

Gray was also stunned by the news. "Mr. Leo, are you engaged to the king's daughter?"

They were all staring at Loke, but he did not say anything at all. His face was more stiff than usual, and his eyes gazed coldly at the king.

Lucy looked down at a tablet in her hands. Loke's matchmaking _omiai_ was with…

She remembered what he said once in his car, the only time he talked about it.

" _It'd help me get a promotion. It's not a bad arrangement._ "

Then there was what Natsu and Gray had said at their team outing.

* * *

" _By the way, I heard a rumor that someone from Fairy Tail aggressively approached the king in order to set up this competition between agencies._ "

" _So in other words, Mr. Leo, this whole thing was your doing?_ "

" _Between us, do you have some kind of connection with the king?_ "

* * *

Lucy began to piece things together. A connection with the king … the ability to make this competition happen … it was all because he agreed to a matchmaking with the king's daughter. That dainty woman Lucy had seen twice now, with her pure white dress and puffy pink hair, was none other than the princess. The media never talked about her, rarely showed her, so she had not at all looked familiar in casual clothes.

Loke was thinking about marrying into the royal family itself! No wonder he was guaranteed a promotion.

"My king…" Loke bowed, but as his head went down, Lucy saw that he looked exasperated and silently furious. "I apologize, but I can't discuss that right now."

"The presentations are happening soon, right?" the king said casually. "As it happens, my schedule will free up around that time. How about we have the engagement ceremony the day after the presentations?"

It was like he had not even heard what Loke said, that this was not the time to discuss personal issues. Loke's expression grew even more severe.

"That … isn't only up to you and I, your majesty. We have to consider Aries' feelings as well."

"Aries likes you _enormously_. I understand you've seen each other on a number of occasions."

His words made Lucy's heart sink. She had seen Aries come to see Loke at the office. She had heard the two say that he could not take her out to dinner _that time_. In other words, they had gone on dates before. Perhaps, as the king said, on _numerous occasions_. And then there was the last time she saw the lady, how Aries came late at night, apparently to talk to him about the presentation. Days later, the budget was slashed in half.

Had she warned Loke that the city official were about to change the budget? Was he using his correction with the king to get insider information?

"I know Aries very well," said the king. "She would do it tomorrow, if you're amenable."

The team had inched away out of respect. Gray glanced at them and whispered, "Guys, it sounds to me like—" He hesitated to say it.

Natsu, however, dared to say what they all had realized. "—Mr. Leo got us a presentation on the condition that he gets engaged to the king's daughter." His narrow, green eyes slid over to Lucy. He knew about their relationship, and now it came to _this_.

However, Lucy could not look at him. Her eyes were down at her tablet, but the information on it was blank to her mind. The truth hit her like a punch to the gut.

"Not only that," Freed added in a mere wisp of a breath, "but the king is being pushy. He's testing Mr. Leo, feeling him out about holding the engagement ceremony the day after the presentations. If Mr. Leo says no, the winner of the account will be…"

He didn't even need to say it.

They'd lose.

The conversation between the king and Loke felt so far away, like they had slipped into their own world, a dimension far above theirs.

As Lucy's heart went cold, what came to her mind was what Loke said about his past. He owed a debt to the CEO of Fairy Tail and made a promise to make Fairy Tail number one in Fiore. He got this presentation for himself, to fulfill that promise. He was not doing it for a promotion, for greed and self-interest. It was all for the promise he made to Makarov Dreyar.

Still, it seemed clear that he was proceeding with the _omiai_ with the king's daughter. Promise or no promise, he was seeing her, and he was about to marry her.

What was it all for? For a promotion? To honor a promise he made to Makarov?

Lucy did not know what to believe anymore.

"Well," the king said, jolting her out of spiraling grief. "I'll have my secretary contact you with the details. I expect an answer that will make me happy, old friend."

With that, the king went out the door. The rest of them left in the conference room were silent. Loke stood still, his shoulders stiff and his brow tense.

Gray stepped forward first. "Mr. Leo, was this competition for the account fixed the whole time? All the work we've put into this…"

Loke did not answer. Instead, he slowly turned and looked at all of them. Although he looked calm on the outside, Lucy could see a stiffness to his jaw as he spoke. "I'm sorry that my personal life was brought into this. Let's get back to the office."

With that, he strode out of the room. The rest of the team glanced at each other, but all they could do was follow him. Natsu briefly patted Lucy on the back, and the warmth of his hand was only a mild comfort to the cold hardness of her heart.

Lucy first stopped in the restroom while the others continued ahead. When she stepped back out, she was shocked to see the king just down the hall. She lowered her head, but she felt a sudden rush of determination. She ran up to him before even thinking about what she was doing.

"Um, excuse me, your majesty?"

He turned around and looked down at her. He was so tall, so imposing, it forced her to keep her head lowered.

"Oh, you were with my old friend."

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I work at Fairy Tail. I'm sorry to bother you, I know you're busy, but … what you said back there—"

"I know who you are, Miss Heartfilia."

His voice was suddenly harsh, and his glaring eyes sent chills down Lucy's spine.

' _He knows me? The king knows who I am?_ '

"You're awfully close with Loke, aren't you?"

Her mouth dropped, and despite herself, she looked up at him in astonishment.

"He's a candidate for my future son-in-law. Of course, I had him looked into," he said, as if this should have been obvious to her. "So, let me guess. You're going to tell me you don't want him to marry my daughter?"

"No," she muttered, but her brain was in shock. The king himself knew about her relationship with Loke! Lucy fisted up her hands and dug down deep to find enough courage to continue. "I don't think that has anything to do with the job. We've been working hard every day on this…"

"They might be unrelated to a little girl like you, but not for me. Loke Leo is the son of the powerful Regulus Clan, an ancient, influential, and rich family whom I would like on my side. More importantly, my daughter likes him. Who are you?" he said, sneering down at her. "You are nothing, some average office worker, no money, no power, no influence, only a little talent in your field. A refined gentleman like him would be wasted on you."

A major clan's son? Loke?

"You said this has nothing to do with the job," the king said coldly, "but there wouldn't even be any presentations if it weren't for this engagement. Whose presentation will win, do you suppose, if Loke defies my wishes?"

Lucy was dumbstruck. "But … we worked hard … it should be based on—"

"You also should be worried about his future," the king cut in. "He would be embarrassing me, the king, if he dared to turn down my daughter's hand. I doubt anyone would touch him after that. Him, Fairy Tail, all of you."

Lucy's fists drew up. He would not only destroy Loke's future, but the entire company with him! "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, her voice frail with rage she knew she could not show, not to this man.

"You might be a worthless, dirty whore, but if you have any sway over him, then I'm afraid you've got to go."

Lucy gasped. Was she being threatened? And to have the king himself call her a whore! She would have normally slapped anyone who would dare call her that, yet she could do nothing against this powerful monarch.

"Try to understand, dear. I can't have him getting serious about you. That'd be a problem for me, and for my daughter."

Why did everyone keep talking like this about her? The king, Natsu … she didn't want to make trouble for Loke. She tried so hard to keep this as just a casual thing, a hookup.

"I'm not serious about him," she insisted, but her voice almost failed her.

"That just shows what sort of uncouth woman you are," he said, sneering down at her. "Even if you're not serious, what about him?"

"Wh-what?" she asked.

The king's phone buzzed. "Ah, another meeting. I'm out of time. Goodbye, Miss Heartfilia. I advise you to stay away from Loke."

He walked off, leaving Lucy in even more chaos than before.

Her phone buzzed, and she saw a text from Natsu. They were at the company shuttle and waiting for her. She forced herself to turn and walk away. Her steps began to speed up, and she had to fight the urge to break into a run and get out of that place before it crushed her.

The massive king looked back as she left and whispered on his phone, "Libra, that Heartfilia girl is much bolder than we thought. I think you need to release _that_. Yes, right now, before they return to Fairy Tail. By the end of today, she will be forced out of Loke's life for good."


	26. Incriminating Evidence

Chapter 26

 **Incriminating Evidence**

Their team said nothing on the ride back to Fairy Tail, nor as they trudged back to their departments. Natsu briefly put his hand on Lucy's back, and his eyes told her that he was there if she needed to talk. She was grateful, but she was too numb.

She did not feel like going back to her desk yet, so she went to the break area and sat in one of the empty seats. The day's events unfurled in her mind.

The king knew about her relationship with Loke. Surely, that meant they were being watched. This was the king, after all. She was probably being tailed, even with the most trivial actions, such as coming into work on a Saturday. She was already planning to keep her distance from Loke, so this was simply a bigger reason to finish what she already had begun to do.

Still, she could not get the king's words out of her head. He said, " _Even if you're not serious, what about him?_ "

What about Loke? What did he think? How did he feel about her? She did not know, the man was impossible to read, and never once had he said he loved her or anything so solidifying. So, how was she supposed to answer something like that?

She sighed, and when she did, she realized that the break room was buzzing with excitement.

"Lucy Heartfilia is…"

"Isn't she the storyboarder for the GMG ad?"

"She always looks like she's focused only on work, but I bet there's a lot more to her life."

Lucy looked around, stunned to realize that people were looking at her and whispering. What was going on? Was this something to do with the account?

Levy ran through the crowd of workers and up to her. "Lucy! You're back." She slid into the seat next to her and took Lucy's hands in worry.

"Levy, what happened?"

"What happened?" she cried out. "There's a picture of you and Mr. Leo going around."

"…What?"

Levy took out her phone and showed her the screen. Someone had taken a picture and forwarded it to every person in Fairy Tail. Lucy pulled out her own phone, and sure enough, attached to her work account was a viral message with the same picture attached. It was of Lucy getting into Loke's car, her about to sit, and his hand outstretched, beckoning her in. The sky was a bluish purple, street lights were on, yet it was not late at night like the first time she had ridden in the car with Loke. She realized it must have been the time when they left together after pulling an all-nighter over the weekend.

This was why she felt all those eyes boring into her.

"Are they going out?" someone whispered.

"Who wouldn't want to spend the night with him!"

"I get it. That's gotta be why he chose her for the GMG account. She's sleeping her way up."

Lucy gasped at hearing their whispers. She had never before been the subject of office gossip, and certainly not to this level. Levy looked indignant. She began to stand up to say something, but Lucy yanked her back down.

"Levy, no. I'm okay. Don't worry about it."

"But Lu…"

More whispers drifted around.

"I thought Mr. Leo had a fiancée.'

"So did I. Lucy must've been his piece of ass on the side."

Lucy's mouth dropped at that vulgarity, but before the talk could turn even uglier, heavy shoes clicked into the break room.

"I'm glad you're all so excited!"

The room dropped dead silent, and Lucy saw Loke standing in the entryway. Everyone exchanged glances as he calmly walked in.

"M-Mister Leo!"

"That was … it's just, people are saying…"

"Yes, I was shown the photograph," he said to the crowd. "It was taken a few weeks ago when we worked on a Saturday. We bumped into some trouble on the GMG account, but Miss Heartfilia got us through it with hard work and talent."

Lucy was stunned by his praise. "Mr. Leo…"

"Our team worked through the night. We even ate our dinner right here, in this break room, so we could keep working." He held up his own phone with the image on the screen. "If you observe the skyline, the sun is rising in this photo. It was taken at dawn, very early, just after we finished our work. The trains were not running that early on a Sunday, and since she had worked so hard all night with no sleep—on a weekend, mind you—I offered to take her home. I also called a cab for Mr. Freed Justine in Accounting, who had been working with us all night until he passed out at his desk and could barely stand. One would hope there aren't also rumors of illicit behavior between him and me," he said with a playful smile but a caustic glare as he looked around the break room. "Those two, and every member of our team, fights their hardest to make Fairy Tail number one in Fiore. Every person in this company should put in that sort of selfless dedication to their work and be willing to help their teammates to that extent, be it getting them a cup of coffee when they look exhausted or offering them a ride home if they work late."

"So that's how it was?" people muttered.

"Look, that's the east side of the building. It's definitely sunrise, not evening."

"The trains don't run until eight on Sundays, so it makes sense."

Loke shouted out over the rumbling soft voices, "I'm surprised I have to say this, but trite personal gain is never a deciding factor when I put together a team. My decisions are based on merit and skill alone." He looked straight at Lucy, yet immediately looked away. "Our tech department is looking into this matter and will track down whoever made this vile attempt at discrediting a member of Fairy Tail. We do not take slander lightly in this company. If you have information on who did this, or if anyone has more doubts about this issue, they should speak with me directly." With that harsh pronouncement, Loke left the break room.

Lucy heard the conversations around the room changing. The photo was nothing of interest anymore, and people were more enraged that someone dared to try to divide Fairy Tail and make Loke look bad. Some wondered if it was a jealous ex-girlfriend, others sneered that maybe it was an attempt at corporate sabotage.

Lucy kept her head down, but her fists tightened.

"Lu?" Levy asked, but then she saw the expression on her face. "Go after him," she urged.

With a firm nod, Lucy bolted out of the break room. She saw Loke's orange hair, and like the sun, she followed it.

"Mr. Leo," she hollered.

He turned around to face her. "Miss Heartfilia."

She bowed formally. "Thank you for defending me back there."

"There's nothing to thank about. They are baseless rumors. We were just doing work that day. Are you all right?" he asked, barely even looking concerned, more like formally asking as her superior.

"Yes, sir, I'm fine," she assured, although her heart was still pounding. "This will not impede my work."

"Very good. Well, I have to go report to my superiors that the meeting with the government offices went smoothly."

"Right … okay."

He disappeared into the elevator without looking back at her. No words of encouragement, no apologies that she had been targeted in such a defaming way, no gentle pat on her shoulder to keep her spirits up, and worst of all, no explanation about the issue with the king, or his engagement to Princess Aries.

Now it was obvious that she was being watched, and the king would stop at nothing to discredit her. Lucy realized, whether if she had wanted it or not, she and Loke now really had to keep their distance.


	27. Rooftop Showdown

Chapter 27

 **Rooftop Showdown**

Later that day, when it was time to go home, Lucy did not head to the bottom floor. She went the other way.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself as she rode the elevator to the top floor.

She stepped out onto the rooftop and gazed out at the evening sky. It was tranquil, and although it was not fully dark yet, she could still look up and see some of the brightest stars. Out of habit, she found the constellations, as her mother had taught her. Aquarius, Virgo, Cancer…

Just then, the door opened and someone walked out onto the rooftop. She turned slowly, expecting to see Loke there, but instead she saw pink hair.

"God, it's suffocating down there right now."

"Natsu!"

He paused at realizing she was there, but he strode forward with a stern face. "What is up with that photo? Are you still hooking up with that guy?"

"Whoa, easy there," she said as he charged at her like a dragon. "Didn't you hear Mr. Leo? That was taken when we came in on Saturday—"

"I'm asking if you're still involved with him?" he shouted.

Such an aggressive attitude coming from him made all of Lucy's negative feelings explode, and she shouted back at him. "Why are you still on my case about this? You're my friend, but this has nothing to do with you."

"It does, precisely because I'm your oldest, closest friend."

"So what?" she yelled. "Besides, nothing happened that morning. The photo was just of him taking me home after I had stayed up working all night. Everyone on the team was working hard that Saturday. Everyone but _you_ , I may add," she added, slamming her finger into his chest.

Natsu's mouth dropped. "My cat Happy was sick, I had to take him to the vet—"

"You could've showed up at any time, and you would have found all of us working our butts off. Even Gray showed up early, although he had a commitment that night. Poor Freed was so exhausted, he had to take a cab home; he couldn't keep his eyes open. I was there the whole day and night. When we finally finished, the trains weren't running yet, so Mr. Leo drove me home. There's all. There's seriously _nothing_ else to it."

Natsu looked stunned and a little hurt that she was yelling at him, accusing him of not working as hard as the rest of the team, and brushing aside their years of friendship. "Lucy, this isn't like you. What do you even see in that guy? Power, money?"

"No!" she shouted.

"You _knew_ he was engaged, didn't you? At the meeting this morning, when the king came in, you didn't look at all surprised by that part."

Lucy bit her lip, and she muttered weakly, "When we hooked up, he wasn't engaged _yet_. He was only thinking about it. And I didn't know that she was the king's daughter. I found that out this morning, like everyone else."

"Then you knew all along, the guy was never going to be serious about you."

"I … I knew that," she mumbled.

"Then why?" Natsu yelled in desperation. "Why would you get into a relationship that you _know_ will never work out? I seriously don't get it." Natsu gnashed his teeth and looked pained. "Are you in love?"

Lucy felt her chest jolt with a sob she could not release. What sort of answer could she give? Just hours ago, she had told the King that she was not in love with Loke. She had come up to this roof for a reason, and now, being asked that…

"Lucy … goddammit," he said, shaking his head in grief. "It's just not like you, having a relationship that's purely physical. You can't do this to yourself! I can see how this is tearing apart, and as your friend, I can't simply keep quiet about it anymore."

She weakly muttered, "It has nothing to do with you—"

"It does!" he yelled. "Because you're my friend, and you deserve better than this. You can't be nothing more than his fucktoy."

"Hey now!" said a deep, cool voice. "That's no way to talk to a lady."

Lucy gasped as she spun around and saw Loke walking toward them. "What are you doing here?" she said breathlessly, although she had come up there to speak with him.

"I was looking for you. I wanted to talk. Looks like Natsu beat me to it."

"You!" Natsu growled. "What do you think you're doing to my friend? There are some things you just don't do, even a man in your position."

Loke shook his head. "Natsu, you have built up this wonderful fantasy about Lucy, this perfect and flawlessly angelic woman … the way you _want_ her to be. You've known her all your life, and you still think she's the naïve child you knew in school. You're naïve yourself, to hold on to such a childhood crush."

"Hey!" Natsu yelled, blushing slightly as his hidden feelings were called out. "You have no right to say that to me."

"Then _you_ don't have the right to say those things to _her_ ," Loke replied right back at him.

Natsu snarled at him, and Loke held his ground. Lucy watched as the two refused to break their stubborn gazes. Natsu normally avoided getting involved with her love life, but this time he looked so fierce, Lucy honestly thought he might throw a punch. However, Loke's body was loose, relaxed, yet his eyes held a strange sort of inner strength and determination to them. Lucy was breathless as she watched him. Obviously, Natsu was trying to provoke him, but Loke remained as calm as ever, truly as if he was above such petty behavior.

"Lucy is not some angelic child," Loke went on placidly. "She's an independent adult, a mature and strong woman, and she can be companions with whomever she wants."

"Even so, could you not _use her_ for your bedroom games?"

At those words, for the first time Loke clearly showed anger. "I was _never_ using her. I don't play around at work, I don't play with the hearts of women, and I sure as hell wasn't playing around with Lucy."

Her heart throbbed. "You mean, you were serious about me?"

Loke turned to her with a saddened look. "Did you think I wasn't?"

"I…" She had always hoped so, but she was never sure. She knew she never could have continued if she was just being used for fun, but … what about now?

Loke snapped away to turn back to Natsu. "All right, look, you're not part of this. I appreciate that you're concerned about her as a friend, but I don't want you butting in. This is between me and Lucy. If you respect her at all as a woman, you'll let us work this out. Whatever the outcome, it's just between _her_ and _me_."

"Tch!" Natsu had no comeback. He knew Loke was right. He bit his lip and glared, but Loke maintained the same stern look on his face. Mr. Loke Leo, who was normally so calm and composed in the face of the worst news, was angry.

Lucy covered her mouth. ' _Is it possible that he cares about me that much?_ '

Although she knew that they needed to break this off completely, still, while it lasted, she was happy that perhaps she had become an important part of his life. He had not simply been playing around. She was not sure what he actually felt, pursuing an engagement if he was actually serious about her, but at least in the complicated muddle, she could be happy that he had been serious all along.

The king's words came back to her. " _Loke Leo is the son of the powerful Regulus Clan. Who are you? You are nothing. A refined gentleman like him would be wasted on you. Whose presentation will win, do you suppose, if Loke defies my wishes?_ "

Perhaps Loke was trapped, unable to escape the engagement. If he bailed on that commitment, then all of their work, Loke's dreams, his promise, all of that would become dust. That was not what Lucy wanted! She wanted Loke to follow his dreams.

Besides … the king had made a serious threat.

* * *

" _You also should be worried about his future. He would be embarrassing me, the king, if he dared to turn down my daughter's hand. I doubt anyone would touch him after that. Him, Fairy Tail, all of you._ "

* * *

The higher-ups might be pressured by the government to fire Loke. All of Fairy Tail might sink if they refused. Lucy realized, if she really cared for Loke and for Fairy Tail, the best thing she could do now was…

While she was busy thinking, Natsu left. She heard his footsteps fade away, until it was just her and Loke again. He sank a bit and rubbed out his head.

"Your _childhood friend_ is quite the hothead. I'm glad it didn't need to turn into a fight. I'm not usually one to fight over a girl."

"But you would for me?" she asked, her voice oddly hollow.

He turned to her with doleful eyes. "I think there's something worth fighting for in you." He tapped his hand against his thigh, seeming to be worried and nervous. "Did you need to talk?"

Lucy walked passed him, unable to meet his eyes. She went to the railing and looked out at the city, then up to the sky. She felt so tiny under the heavens. She really was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. What she wanted, how she felt, were all small, petty things when she realized the bigger world around her.

"We should stop."

Loke was quiet for a moment, but finally asked, "Stop?"

"This. Us. The texts, the calls, the flirting … sleeping together. We should stop. Not just putting distance between us, not leaving it with _tell me if anything changes_. We need to completely stop this for good."

His voice came out smaller than normal as he asked simply, "Why?"

"We can't lose this account. You said so yourself. We have to win it, no matter what … for the promise you made to the CEO. The only way to win…" Her voice died out, but she knew she did not need to say it.

He silently listened to her, but he flinched at the end. "You don't understand—"

"Also … I'm tired," she admitted. She knew she had to say this while she still had her resolve. "You are constantly on my mind. It's exhausting to always think about you, to always be jumping when I hear your voice, struggling constantly to not let it show at work, dodging questions and making up excuses about why I keep sighing and blushing and smiling to myself. I'm losing sleep, sitting up at night, wanting you, wishing you would call, fearing that you will, ready to race to you if you did but knowing I just _can't_ because I can't have you in the sort of way that I want, and the truth is … I'm tired."

She could not meet his eyes. She knew if she did, she would start to cry. So she stared out at the stars beginning to twinkle through the dusky sky.

"I don't know why you slept with me. I never know what you're thinking or feeling. I don't know what you want to happen between us once you're engaged, and I'm afraid to know. You once said you slept with me because I'm cute, because you _wanted to_ , but as it turns out, those answers just don't do it for me. It's not enough."

Her heart had been clouded all that time. She had been wanting to ask him how he felt about her, but she feared the truth. She clung to the _complicated_ zone of not being a couple, but not being just a _fucktoy_ , as Natsu put it. She allowed him to dodge the question their last night together, because she was scared of the answer.

That, too, needed to end.

"Natsu is right," she said, gazing up at the constellations. "I can't do this. It's not me. I mean, we didn't even have a _start_."

At that, Loke's eyes widened. "A start? Like dating?"

"Yes! We didn't have a starting point. We were drunk and slept together, and then we've been flying into things from there. We're supposed to date, ask about each other's lives and likes and dreams of the future, and then see if we're compatible, but that was never the sort of thing between us. You were dating Aries, seeing if she was compatible, but us … you don't really know me, and I don't even truly know _you_. It's just about sex, and I don't want that. I can't keep doing this as it is." Her head dropped. "It's exhausting, not knowing you but still wanting you."

Loke lowered his eyes sadly. "You're right. I was selfish, and I made you suffer. If ending this is what you want, that's what we should do."

She scowled. That wasn't fair! The way he was saying it was like it was all up to her, it was her fault, although part of her realized, it was. She was the one who refused to answer his calls, who kept pulling away, and who was now saying that they needed to end this. Plus, he never answered all those pieces that confused her. Even now, right at the end, she never got to hear what was in his heart. Tears beaded up on her eyelids, but she fought them back. Then she felt him step up behind her, yet not leaning against her. Just the radiating heat was a comfort. His voice was soft and warm.

"Can I ask one last thing of you?"

She finally turned around to look up at him. "One last thing?" Did he want sex one last time? Could she even do that now, with her heart so broken?

"It's … selfish," he admitted with a boyishly awkward shrug.

Lucy blinked, wondering what it was. As he explained it to her—half hopeful, half nervous—her eyes widened.

He wanted … to do … _what_?


	28. Bespoke Shirts and Chicken McNuggets

Chapter 28

 **Bespoke Shirts and Chicken McNuggets**

It was a few days after the showdown on the roof. The Saturday sky was mostly clear with just enough clouds to keep the weather cool. Lucy was in a light blue and white dress she bought at Heart Kreuz, the most trendy store in town. Loke had ditched his business suit, wearing beige capri pants and a bright green shirt with a Leo constellation screen-printed in yellow. He looked so casual and playful in those clothes that Lucy barely recognized him.

"Is there anywhere you want to go?" he asked.

Standing next to Loke in his street clothes, the situation still bewildered Lucy.

The one last thing he wanted to ask of her before they called things off … _was for a date_.

Lucy looked around at the pedestrians strolling along the sidewalks, boats drifting by in the canals, and cars zooming past them. The king had to know what they were doing. The photo that was shared throughout Fairy Tail was obviously his doing, considering the timing. That meant they were being tailed. If the king knew they were going out on a date, what would he do to Loke?

"Um, are you sure this is okay?" she timidly asked.

"You have nothing to worry about," Loke said, calm and composed, but with a firm face that showed he had probably worked something out ahead of this day. When he spoke again, his voice was light and cheerful. "There's somewhere I'd like to go. Do you mind?"

"N-no! Of course I don't," Lucy said, still feeling nervous about this.

Loke nonchalantly took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. It was a simple thing, but to Lucy, she was as nervous as if they were touching for the first time.

A part of her knew, this would be her first and last date with Loke, the only day she would get to openly walk the streets of Magnolia together. As she thought about that, she realized that she had never walked beside Loke except the one time they went grocery shopping together. This was also the first time they had held hands.

' _It all ends today_.'

That lingering thought kept bringing tears to her eyes. She had cried at home almost every night since that time on the rooftop, but she was determined not to do it here with him. Instead, she looked at his face in profile. He had held her in his arms many times in bed, but holding hands in public, showing off their closeness out in the open like this, brought about a completely different type of excitement. Lucy felt as giddy as a teenager on her very first date as she walked beside him, and her heart pounded like a drum.

The place Loke wanted to go to was a bespoke shirts shop. Lucy had never been in such a place before, and she looked around in awe.

"This is amazing. They measure you?"

"They only measure you your first time," Loke explained. "After that, only if you've had a change in weight. The presentation is soon, and I want to get a new shirt for the occasion."

"For the GMG presentation? Why?"

"Remember I told you about Makarov Dreyar, the Fairy Tail CEO? He bought me a bespoke shirt once as a gift. I wore it for a presentation like this one, and we got the job. The first thing I did was make that commercial you said you liked so much. Now, I have a new shirt made whenever a big job like this comes up. It's like a good luck ritual."

Lucy listened and absorbed the unexpected story from his past.

"Wow…" She grinned at him. "We'll win this!"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and stroked her hair. "Of course we will, but not just because of a lucky shirt. It'll be the fruit of all of our labors."

It was also a chance to make good on Loke's promise to Makarov. Even if the whole competition was fixed, Lucy wanted to do her best until the end.

Loke picked the fabric and design, and the shopkeeper told him it would be ready in a few days.

"I'm excited to see you wear it on the presentation day," said Lucy.

"Yeah." He tipped her chin up and smiled at her. "It'll be like a signal only you and I know about."

He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but they were still in the shop. Loke's eyes flitted around at the customers and employees before letting go of her chin. Then, to Lucy's surprise, Loke blushed.

She knew this day would mark the end of their relationship, but the sweet things Loke said and his endearing actions would not let her internalize it. She told herself to just ignore the inevitable and enjoy their day together, since she would never have this chance again.

"How about something to eat?" asked Loke. "I know a great place."

Lucy chuckled when he said that. "I think I know where."

And she was right. They went to McDonald's, ordered off the overhead menu, and took their brown trays of food to a table in the corner, near the children's playground.

"It feels funny coming here with you," Lucy muttered as she settled in.

"I think of a burger from McDonald's as a treat." He watched her taking the food off her tray. "Oh, did you get nuggets, too?"

"Yup. Yours have mustard, mine have barbecue sauce."

He laughed and blushed slightly. "You remembered." Then he held out a nugget dipped in mustard. "Open up wide."

Lucy gasped and looked around at the families eating their burgers and fries.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Next, you're going to feed me a nugget dipped in barbecue sauce."

"F-feed you?" she gasped.

"It'll be cute. You did call me cute once."

She had, and she supposed this was the sort of thing a dating couple would do. "O-okay, I can do that."

He seemed to be enjoying how flustered she was getting, and he nudged the nugget closer. "You should eat it before the mustard drips."

She parted her lips, and he gently placed the nugget in her mouth.

"Well? Isn't the mustard good?" He had a mischievous, boyish expression that she never saw at the office. "Your face is redder than your barbecue sauce. You're a grown woman. Aren't you getting a little too worked up over this?"

"I … I'm not…"

"You know what comes next, right?" he said with a teasing gleam in his eyes. "It's time for you to feed me."

He opened his mouth and went "Ah" as he waited. Lucy was embarrassed enough, but she liked seeing this new side to Loke. He had never been this affectionate before.

"Mr. Leo, I can't—"

"Loke."

She clamped her mouth shut. _What?_

"We're outside of the office. Isn't it weird for you to call me _Mr. Leo_ when we're on a date? To be honest, it's always sounded very formal to me and made me think like I needed to look behind me for my father. Unless, perhaps, you think I'm some old man."

"Th-that's not true! I like thinking of you as Mr. Leo because I honor you—"

"Well, for just today, call me by my first name. Just Loke for now."

Her face heated up to her ears. "Okay … L-Loke."

"You sound far too terrified. It's just a name."

She knew that, but it still tore down a wall of separation that she had always kept up between them. They were Miss Heartfilia and Mr. Leo, not Lucy and Loke.

"Come on, lemme try some of that barbecue. Ahh!"

She picked up a nugget. At the office, and even the times they had gone to his place, he had been so calm, so composed, that it was impossible to read his emotions. Now, he was not like that at all. Now, reading him was a breeze, like he was telling her everything through the expressions on his face.

Just to get him to stop, she dipped her nugget and held it up to him. If he wanted to be cute and act like lovers for once, she wanted it too. He took the nugget into his mouth, and his lips brushed against her finger. She yanked her hand back in shock, and he smirked naughtily.

"Oh, you!" she scolded.

He chuckled as he chewed, and she laughed. At least for today, they could act like a real dating couple, since it would all be gone tomorrow.

Just after that, they hear a squeal from the playground. Loke was facing it, but Lucy had to turn around to see the children on slides and crawling through colorful plastic tubes, all with characters from McDonald's worked into the fun. Some child was simply having a lot of fun going down a slide, squealing loudly each time. Lucy politely ignored the noise, but when she turned around, she saw Loke watching with wistfulness in his eyes.

Did he have fond memories of playing at McDonald's? Or could it be, he always wanted children? She was too scared to ask and possibly ruin their whole day.

"I think parents have one of the best jobs in the world," he said quietly.

Lucy jolted up. Did he actually want to talk about this? And what did he mean by that?

"Of course, you can completely fail at your job," he said, and his eyes sank a little. Was it a bad memory? "Or you can pick up the slack and make sure things work out." His eyes flitted around as he watched the children. "If a parent can get their child to laugh, in my opinion, they've succeeded at their job."

"Did you play a lot at McDonald's as a kid?" Lucy was stunned when the words just fell out of her mouth. Crap, what if this was a bad memory?

She was glad when Loke chuckled. "My father would take me. My mother … she was of the Regulus Clan, very rich, very strict, but my father wanted to make sure I knew how to have fun. My family could have eaten anywhere in the world, but Dad loved chicken nuggets from McDonald's best." Loke glanced down at his plate. "With ranch sauce. He hated mustard, but my mother loved it. I picked that up from her." He dipped a chicken nugget in mustard. "A little combination of both of them," he said, and he popped the nugget into his mouth. "I always wondered, which parent would I be: the strict one, or the fun one? And then one day I realized, it didn't have to be one way or another. It's okay if both parents are strict, and both are fun-loving." He looked at Lucy, and his eyes softened. "Something like that would be nice."

She gulped hard and her eyes dropped to her food. "Yes … I suppose it would be."

Loke sighed, and he watched the children playing. "It would've been nice," he whispered, almost too soft to hear, but Lucy just barely did. Then Loke snapped out of his melancholy. "How about your parents? Tell me about them."

Lucy shivered. "I'd rather not."

"Why?" he asked in worry.

Lucy's throat clenched. "They're both dead."

Loke's mouth dropped, and suddenly his hands were on hers, squeezing her with comfort.

"That commercial of yours, though," she struggled to say. "It reminded me of my mother."

"Was she a good mother?" Loke asked, looking so tender.

A tear slipped down Lucy's cheek. "The best," she said, smiling with deep pride.

"Then I know, you're going to make an awesome mother one day," he said, giving her hands a squeeze. "You'll totally be the one to take your kids to McDonald's."

She laughed, and Lucy dabbed her eyes dry. "Yeah, I hope so," she said, but it was still bittersweet.

It would have been nice to come to this McDonald's together with their own children and watch them play while eating chicken nuggets. However, she knew that future simply wasn't meant to be. She really wanted to bring the mood back to something better.

"So, tell me around your father."

The way Loke's eyes lit up, she knew he was just as eager to get back into a pleasant conversation.

* * *

After lunch, they walked around town as time flew. They held hands the whole time and talked about their personal hobbies.

"So, you like going for drives?" she asked, having learned about the cars he had owned and road trips he took with Freed and Capricorn in college.

"I do. There's nothing better than a spontaneous drive, just jumping in the car when I'm in the mood and driving to the next city over, or even further. I try to go on a long distance road trip every summer, if my schedule allows me."

"Okay. What else do you like?"

Loke thought about it. "Not much, I guess. I'm really involved with work these days. Going for drives is really the only hobby I have time for. That, and I sometimes collect the toys you get at McDonald's."

"Get out! No way," she laughed.

"I have boxes of them. I'll have to show you sometime."

She laughed and shook her head. "You are full of surprises."

Before being on his team, Lucy had simply admired Loke from afar, a star in the heavens that she gazed upon from time to time. She would have thought it intrusive to walk beside him before. Lucy knew nothing about him though, not his likes or hobbies or his favorite food. She knew of his work, but not about _him_.

Now that she had seen so many sides of him, the happiness, the tenderness, the anger, and even the sadness, a feeling she did not have before began to shine brightly in her heart. It was like Loke was brightening her life with his own starlight.

Would it dim when he was gone, or was that light now there to stay, a part of her that she could carry with her through the rest of her life?

Lucy may have dated over the years, she may have had passionate relationships, wild flings, and she may have even fallen in love a few times before, but now, for the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to truly love someone unconditionally.

As Loke squeezed her hand and pulled her over to watch a street magician do some tricks, Lucy gulped down the sadness that this deep, unconditional love had formed only after an impenetrable barrier had been put up between them. She pressed herself a little closer to his side, wishing she could stay there, and Loke put his arm around her shoulder, as if he too wanted to hold on to her for as long as possible.


	29. Tears in the Rain

Chapter 29

 **Tears in the Rain**

It was not like Lucy to wish for silly, childish things, but she did this time. She wished time would stop.

It was dark now. Loke had walked with her all around town, they had dinner at some hole-in-the-wall café, and then he walked her all the way back to her apartment. Now, they stood facing one another on the sidewalk in front of her place. Their time together was almost over.

"Thank you for taking me home."

"Of course," he replied chivalrously. Loke looked like he wanted to say something, but he hesitated, then shut his mouth. Time passed in awkward silence. Both were thinking things, yet neither could speak.

Lucy knew she was the one who needed to end this, yet she could not bring herself to say _goodbye._

Finally, Loke spoke. "You said to me once, you don't know what I'm thinking. I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I hope that today, I was able to show you at least a little of how I feel."

She thought over that day. Loke had shown her a comical, playful, completely open side to himself. He had been sweet, attentive, and acted like he completely adored her. He had also talked about his family and childhood, something he completely avoided before.

Was that why he wanted a date, so he could finally show her how he felt? Why had he never asked her to go on a date up until now?

As she thought about that, suddenly everything made sense.

' _If Mr. Leo feels even one-tenth of what I feel for him, maybe those feelings were leaving him as confused as they had left me._ _Maybe he didn't know how to show them until now._ _He might have been reluctant about opening up when he had already begun on plans for an engagement that would change his life forever._ _Maybe he felt guilty for falling for someone he was boss over._ _He might have been scared that he could be demoted, lose his job, and he likely felt threatened by the king. I only felt trapped by fears of rejection; he had his career and social standing at risk, as well as the future of the entire company resting on his shoulders._ '

All of that pressure on him, yet he had still made love to her over and over again. He still wanted her, despite threats from the king. He took her on this incredible date, and now he refused to simply let her go and walk away.

She already realized, he would probably never smile as sweetly at her again as he was now, with his eyes so soft and a little sad. This smile was special, something he never showed anyone at work. It was a smile only for her.

Something cold landed on her cheek. Startled, she looked up and realized it was starting to drizzle.

Rain. It always rained when something happened between them.

"You…" Lucy bit her lip as she struggled past her aching emotions. "You're kind and earnest, you struggle to get through life just like the rest of us, but you don't let anyone know it. Today, you also showed me that you're funny, playful, and a little boyish at times. I'm thankful you let me see that side to you as well."

"I'm glad you don't think less of me now."

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "I…" Her voice began to tremble, and she stopped sharply.

' _I love you!_ '

Despite everything, she knew those were words she was not supposed to say, especially not now. If she released that one thing, then like Pandora's box, it would all burst open. It was not fair to her to tell him that now at the end, and it was not fair to him to hear it when he could no longer reciprocate, even if he wanted to. He could never be hers, not in that way, so it was unfair to say it only now.

She knew what had to happen next. They would say goodbye, he would go home, and come Monday she would be Ms. Heartfilia, and he would again be Mr. Leo. He would agree to the engagement, win the GMG account, get married, have a family, perhaps even be happy with a wife and children.

She could not be part of that. It was not something she wanted, to be a mistress on the side. It simply was not the life for her.

So she clamped up and returned that important emotion back down deep into her heart.

"I … respect you."

Loke looked disappointed by her businesslike words. However, just then, Lucy's bottom lip quivered. She tried so hard to hold back the tears. Just another minute, just long enough to say goodnight, turn around, and flee to her bedroom where she could sob into a pillow.

She just had to say _goodbye_ and leave.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Her throat choked up to hold it all back, her eyes blinked hard to dam the tears, and her chest tightened as her lungs began to spasm.

' _Just say goodbye. You need to be the one to end this, Lucy. Just say it and you can leave._ '

She couldn't, though. She didn't want to cry in front of Loke, but she didn't want to leave him to cry alone. She didn't want to lose him forever.

The pain tore down her resolve, an agonized sob burst out, and she covered her face as tears fell thickly.

"Lucy," he sighed, as if he knew the feelings she was struggling to hold back.

"L-Loke!"

At the sound of his name being cried like that, he reached forward and gently cupped her cheek with his big, strong hand. He had touched her so many times, but now that Lucy knew she would never feel the warmth of those hands again, they felt so much more powerful and intimate. She placed her hand over his, so she would never forget this feeling.

The moment her skin brushed against the hand she so loved, Loke put his arm around her and held her tightly. She buried her face into his chest and let herself sob. Loke did not try to get her to calm down. Instead, he gently kissed her on the head, again and again.

"Loke," she whispered.

He wrapped her up with both arms and strengthened his hold on her, like he was protecting her from the rain and the sadness and the cruel unfairness of life and fate. Lucy also grasped around his waist, clinging to him as the rain turned into a downpour. Loke's arms tightened even more, as if he wanted to hold on for eternity.

' _I'll never again feel his body, his warmth, his arms. This is it. The end._ '

They got soaked in each other's arms. Lucy's tears washed away in the rain, and when she finally raised her head to look up at Loke, it was hard to tell if the water on his face was truly just raindrops, or if he was crying the same as her.

"It always rains with us," he whispered.

She sniffled and nodded.

His hand caressed her cheek as he gazed at her with sad, tender eyes. "Can I stay until the rain stops?"

She gulped down her tears and nodded again. Again, maybe it was a silly, childish thing, but Lucy wished it would rain every day for the rest of her life.


	30. One Final Time

_A/N: Today, Hubby and I celebrate 20 years as a couple. July 2, 1998, we were teenagers when he awkwardly asked, "I don't know if this sounds old-fashion, but will you go steady with me?" I laughed a little, because being old-fashion was what I loved about him. So, I nervously said "Sure," and we held hands. Two days later, under the 4th of July fireworks, we shared our first kiss. 7 years later, we married. Now it's been 20 years since he got the courage to ask me to go steady. He's still my bashful boy, and I'm still his nerdy writer girl. He's also a devil in the sheets, and he inspires many of my love scenes, so this is a gift to everyone, compliments of the most wonderful, caring, gentle man I know. I'm thankful THIS sort of scene never happened to us.  
_

* * *

Chapter 30

 **One Final Time**

They practically tripped over each other as they headed into Lucy's apartment, kissing and grabbing at one another. They became a mess of tangled limbs on the bed, their clothes still dripping wet, wanting each other so badly.

Loke barely even waited. He grabbed under her skirt, and Lucy lifted her hips so he could pull her panties off. She heard them drop to the rug with a wet _splop_. Then his mouth was down on her, hungry and wild for her taste.

Every time they had made love before, Loke was composed, calm, cool, knowing what he wanted and how to cull it out of her. This time, he had none of that self-possession. She felt him struggling to get out of wet clothes while his tongue worked on her, not slowly driving her into begging, but a starved lion desperate for a meal. She felt him shifting as he pulled his shirt off and threw it aside. Then he grabbed her with both arms, yanking her to be even tighter against his face as his tongue plunged in.

"Ahh!" she cried, shuddering with pleasure. She began to mess with the buttons on her blouse, thinking he would very likely rip the whole thing off once he got the chance. Then she lay there, the wet blouse split, her bra heaving as her back arched up.

"Loke!"

Calling his first name now was easier. She felt his fingers thrust into her, and she clenched at his hair, not at all gentle about it. He growled, and Lucy felt an intense spasm clenching her belly.

"Oh God, yes!" she howled. His fingers kept working at her, his tongue lathing her relentlessly, until she truly broke apart, wildly howling his name as she convulsed on the mattress.

He pulled back, his face drenched with her wetness, but the hunger was not satisfied yet. Whereas normally he could rouse her two or three times before taking her himself, this time he pulled back while she was still twitching and recovering.

"I need you, Lucy. Now!"

The desperation in his voice thrilled her more than the calm aloofness of before. She sat up and pulled off the blouse, wanting him to touch all of her bare skin. Loke yanked a condom out of his wallet before throwing his pants off. He ripped it open with his teeth while she rushed out of the last of her clothes, and eagerly he rolled it onto his arousal. Then he leaped back onto the bed, shielded and ready for her. She spread her legs around him eagerly and pulled him in. Loke sank into her, groaning in a way he had never done before.

"So good," he said in a husky voice. "You always feel so damn good."

She whimpered as he filled her, but she kept her eyes open, watching him, knowing she would never be this close to him again. As he pressed everything he had into her, she really focused on how incredibly he stretched her out inside. It was always such a perfect fit.

As he looked down at her, Lucy saw a melancholy expression she had never seen in him before. At that moment, she wanted him to belong to her and no one else. She wanted to believe, so strongly, that she was the only person who knew this side of him, that he had never looked at a woman with such sad and wistful eyes before.

She wanted to believe he felt even just a fraction of how strongly she felt for him.

"Lucy," he whispered, caressing her cheek. "You are the most perfect woman…"

It seemed like he had more to say, but he held back the words. She didn't need them anymore. For once, she knew what he was feeling without words. His eyes, freed from their glasses, told her everything.

Then he began to thrust, and he did not stop. She lost track of all the ways he took her. He began just simply on top, flexing his hips up against her. Then he grabbed her as if in dire need, lifted her hips straight up into the air until she was resting on her upper back and shoulders, and he drove down hard into her, slamming her upper body into the bed. He pulled out, flipped her, she planted her feet on the ground beside the bed, and he took her from behind as wildly as a lion. Then he moved back onto the bed to take her another way. They were a twisting tangle of limbs, exploring everything they had experimented with before, like they needed a final taste of all the ways in which they had made love.

Yet they ended up in what he must have realized was Lucy's favorite position, saving the best for last. He flopped onto his back and groaned as she rode on top of him. Her voice quivered loudly, and if she annoyed her neighbors, she did not even care.

She could not think. Not about his fiancée, or about how he was her boss, none of that. For the first time, she felt completely free and uninhibited as she made love to him.

"Oh God, Lucy."

By how he stiffened, she guessed he was coming, but she was not done, nor did he ask her to stop. She kept riding him, and while not as hard, he kept meeting her, thrust for thrust, grabbing her breasts.

"Loke … Loke…"

Then his hand reached down, his thumb rubbed against her clit, and that drove her over the edge. She surrendered herself to the passion, and she felt his eyes drinking it in.

"Lucy," he whispered in awe. "Damn, you're breathtaking."

She almost collapsed, but he caught her into a hug. Being careful, he pulled out and rolled her onto her side. They gazed at each other, and although they both had smiles, both had a pensive pinch to their brows. In the end, it was over far too quickly.

Lucy began to open her mouth, but she hesitated. Loke, for his part, looked eager for her to say something, but her lips closed again. She knew, there were some things she just could not say. It would not be fair to either of them.

"Never forget me," she said instead.

He brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead. "Never. I will never forget this night, or any of it."

She smiled, but her heart ached. "Me, neither. They're some of my happiest memories."

Those words seemed to be precisely what Loke needed to hear, and they were what conquered him. He grabbed her and rested his chin on top of her head, but she felt his chest shaking as he held back emotions.

"Me, too," he barely managed to say without cracking apart.

She rubbed her fingers over his bare chest. "Stay with me a little longer."

He kissed the top of her head. "Of course," he whispered, but his throat sounded tense. He looked out at the window speckled with water. "You know, every time it rains, I think of you."

Lucy smiled, glad to know that the rain would remind him of her from now on, no matter where their lives took them.

He pulled back and chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, but I really do need to toss this thing," he said, holding the condom onto his limp cock. He slid out of bed and left to the bathroom.

When he returned, Lucy was unconscious. He stared down at her, and his eyes went sad.

"Even at the very end, you held back your words. You couldn't say 'I love you' like you did that first night … and it's all because of me. Because I can't say it, either."

Lucy just barely heard his words on the darker edges of sleep, but they did not register. She felt him climb into the bed, though, and she felt his arms wrap around her.

"More," she muttered.

"You're practically asleep."

"Mm-hmm." She erotically stretched on the rumpled sheets.

He chuckled mischievously. "Sleep sex again? Naughty girl. It'll have to be my hand."

Lucy hummed and spread her legs. She felt his fingers glide inside, felt him kiss her breasts, and heard whispers she could not make out anymore. She liked to think that maybe he kept pleasuring her all night, but she honestly had no idea what he did after that, as she sank into a weary sleep with Loke's fingers filling her up. Her dreams were erotic, filled with him, desperate for him to always pleasure her this way.

She jolted awake as her body clenched around his fingers, opened her eyes only long enough to see that he was down between her thighs with his tongue and fingers both working, sighed out a sleepy, "Loke," and fell asleep with some other words on her lips, but her consciousness faded before she could figure out what they were.

* * *

When she awoke in the middle of the night, she felt cold and empty. Her clothes were placed in a hamper, and Plue had been fed and walked. She wrapped a housecoat around her naked body and shuffled around the apartment.

"Mr. Leo?" she called out. Then, blushing, she muttered, "Loke?"

There was no reply, and Lucy stood still as the truth sank in.

He was gone. The night was over. _They_ were over. The only hint that anything even happened that night was a used condom in the bathroom wastebasket.

In a way, she was glad he left while she slept. She knew she would have never been able to say goodbye. This way was colder, but it saved her many tears.

Now, she had to live on with nothing more than memories.

She hugged her arms as she walked to the window. The rain still tapped on the glass as she gazed out into the darkness, faintly seeing the reflection of her miserable face.

"You liar," she whispered. "You said you'd stay until it stopped raining."

Raindrops slid down the reflection of her cheeks as she gazed out into the stormy night and childishly wished she could catch one last glimpse of him.


	31. Moving On

Chapter 31

 **Moving On**

Monday arrived, and Lucy walked to Fairy Tail ready for another work week. She looked up at the towering building, took a deep breath, and nodded to herself before following the crowd of workers inside, set to focus on her project and nothing else.

"Lu!" came a perky shout, and Levy ran up to her. "How was your weekend?"

Lucy kept an amiable smile as memories flickered through her mind: Loke in his casual green shirt, the bespoke shop, McDonald's chicken nuggets, calling him by his first name for the first time, walking around the city holding Loke's hand, hugging one another in the rain, the desperate passion of their last night together, and then spending all day Sunday crying with Plue.

"It was fine, how about you?" she said, bottling it all up deep inside.

Levy was more than happy to talk about her boyfriend, Gajeel, and their weekend getaway. Lucy smiled the same as always as she listened to how happy her friend was and saw the way she blushed. They walked through the company foyer and toward the crowd gathered around the elevators.

"Oh my gosh, there he is!"

Lucy knew the squeal all too well. Just a few months ago, she would have been one of the ladies gathering for just a glimpse of Loke striding by in his prim suit, blandly yet kindly greeting anyone bold enough to call out to him. Instead, as soon as she saw just the tips of his orange hair, Lucy came to a dead stop.

Levy awkwardly paused and turned around. "Lu, what … _Lucy_?" she whispered in shock.

Lucy had turned pale, and she shivered at the memories. Too many memories! She thought she could come to work and simply focus on the task at hand, but the tenderness Loke had showed her on that first-and-last date was too much for her heart. She did not even realize that a tear had slipped down her cheek. She was still in a daze when Levy took her arm and eased her away from the elevator crowd, over against a wall where there were few people around.

"Lu, what happened? Is it _him_?" she asked, being careful not to say Loke's name. "You said a week ago that it was over, but did something else happen?" She leaned in close and dropped her voice to a whisper. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

That jolted Lucy. "What? No!" She looked again, and Loke was almost at the elevators. "I told you it was over, but it wasn't really final or anything. Then there was that photo of us, and Natsu blew up, and then he wanted a date, like a last final time together, and then … then he … we…" She slammed her eyes shut as she could almost feel the raindrops on her face again. "He's such a gentleman, Levy. I really mean that. He's a playful flirt, but he'll protect those he cares for at the cost of his own desires and happiness. He gives so much to everyone, and no one even sees it, because he makes sure they don't feel like they owe him a great debt. He takes all the burden onto himself. That's the sort of man he is. Above all else, he protects your heart and leaves you feeling glad he entered your life." She wiped her cheeks dry and sniffled back emotions. "It's a bit unfair. It'd be easier to hate him, not love him even more."

Levy was unsure what to say, so she simply stayed by Lucy's side until she calmed down. Loke was out of sight now, and Lucy managed to shove the pain back down.

"I need to work," she said stubbornly. "I'll feel better if I can focus on work."

Levy walked right beside her, still looking concerned. "Let me know if you need anything."

Lucy nodded, but as she stepped into the elevator, she knew that she could do this. She could be a professional, despite the hollow ache in her chest.

* * *

Monday managed to go by without another crack in her tough shell, but Lucy was dreading Tuesday's weekly meeting with Team Leo. She had managed not to see him around work, besides that one time near the elevator, but now she would have to stand right in front of him, listen to him talk, and not remember his childish laugh or erotic moans.

She was almost late and the last one to arrive because it took her so long to calm down. When she finally stepped into the office, Gray, Natsu, and Freed were sitting on the couches drinking tea.

"Ah, there you are," said Freed, and he glanced to his watch. "Thirty seconds to spare; that's cutting it close. This meeting can begin."

Lucy looked around the office. "Where's Mr. Leo?"

"He has a meeting in Crocus this afternoon."

"Che!" came a noise from Gray. "More like _engagement plans_."

"Mister Fullbuster!" Freed snapped.

Lucy's eyes dropped. Already, he was in the capitol, and even if it was for work, it made sense that while he was there, he would give the king his answer. They were over, Loke was free, and he would do anything to win this account. His goal was to make Fairy Tail number one in Fiore, and he had the most perfect chance to do just that. Of course, he would take it.

"Miss Heartfilia, your report," Freed requested, ignoring the scowls from Gray.

She was clenching her tablet, and she forcefully loosened her fingers. "Right. Not much has changed since last week, other than a small change in one of our location shoots. It will not affect costs; Mermaid Heel has managed to settle the issue without needing more funds. As for the actors…"

They each gave status reports on the progress made the previous week and what to look forward to in the days to come. Lucy was rather glad Freed was running the meeting. She could focus more on the project and not on emotional turmoil. As they left back to their respective departments, Natsu pulled Lucy aside.

"Are you okay? What happened after Friday?"

She stiffened slightly, not wanting to talk about it right there, with Loke's secretary nearby. "We talked. It's over."

Natsu lowered his head. "I said some terrible things to you that evening."

"Yes, you did," she replied coldly.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I was just really worried about you. Still, you didn't deserve that, and neither did he. Are you going to be okay?"

Her spine bristled, but she knew the only option now was to be strong. "I'll be fine. I need to get back to my desk."

"Lucy," he whispered, "if you need to talk, or if you wanna hang out and get your mind off things—"

"Thank you, Natsu, but I'm okay."

"I worry about you because … because I care about you," he mumbled with a slight blush.

"I know. You've always been there for me, even when it's annoying." She laughed and nudged his shoulder. "That's what makes you my best friend."

Natsu flinched, but he nodded solemnly. "Yeah … I'm glad we can still be friends."

"Of course we are. I know how stubborn you can be. Just tone it down when we're at work, okay? It's not professional."

"Right," he muttered. "Well, I'll see you later. Text if you need me."

"Thanks, but I'm fine, really." With a smile, she returned to her desk. "Now, to focus on work!"

* * *

Two weeks passed. Luckily, it seemed that no one at work saw their date together, as no rumors spread, and any whispers about the two died away as just a brief and unfounded office rumor. The new rumor was that Levy was pregnant, which made the poor girl almost faint in shock, shouting vehemently that she just put on a little weight from eating out so much.

Lucy was glad for one thing. Natsu had not said anything more about Loke since that day on the roof. However, he seemed to be observing her a lot more closely over the past two weeks, texting her way more often just to ask if she was okay, finding excuses to go to her desk, and hanging around the office to walk her to the train station whenever she stayed late.

Lucy managed not to think too hard about things as she found herself completely swamped every day, getting ready for filming.

"Lucy? Yo, Earth to Lucy."

She pulled herself away from her computer screen, and only then did she realize that Cana, Levy, and Natsu were standing next to her desk.

"It's time for lunch," Levy said. "Are you not going?"

"Is it?" she asked, looking at the nearest clock. "I didn't notice the time."

Natsu pouted at her. "That's because you're so absorbed in your work, you don't think about anything else."

"Sorry, sorry. Gimme one second."

Levy looked rather distraught. "I think you might be working too hard."

"Yeah," Natsu said with a nod. "Everything's ready to go. The filming will be great."

"I hope so," Lucy sighed, grabbing up her purse. "I just want it to go perfectly. Gray and I will both be going to oversee things."

"Oh? Gray Fullbuster?" Cana asked, nudging her with an elbow. "I heard a rumor that he has the hots for you, y'know."

"What?" Natsu bellowed. "Oh, hell no. I definitely won't allow it."

Cana turned to him and pointed a finger into his chest. "You stay out of it, unless you can offer her something even better."

"I…" Natsu's face turned red, and his mouth clamped shut.

"Don't worry," Lucy said with a laugh. "I have absolutely no time for dating right now."

"What about afterward?" Levy asked, still sad that Lucy and Loke were not a couple anymore. She had really shipped those two.

"After the GMG account is won?" Lucy mused, but she was lost for an answer. "I'll just have to see at that time."

As they walked to the elevators, Lucy was rather glad for these three. They were diligent about inviting her to lunch every day, because they had seen for themselves that she would forget to eat if left on her own. They were concerned for her, and she felt bad for making them worry.

At least she was stressed over the right thing now. Lucy was unsure if she ever would have lasted mentally if she had to stress over the project _and_ Loke at the same time during these final, critical days. Even though it hurt, she felt good about herself. Her mind was clearer, her heart was lighter, like a weight she had not even known was there had suddenly been lifted.

It only crashed back down when she had to see Loke around the office, or late nights when something would remind her of him. She knew her feelings for Loke would not magically vanish, but at least she made it through those two weeks, and she did not cry at night anymore.

She remembered what Loke once said to her. " _I don't think of that night as a mistake._ " She also realized, she would not call that drunken night, nor any part of her relationship with Loke, a mistake. When he had first told her that, she thought he was simply being slick. Now, she was fully aware of how Loke felt.

He had given her something precious: happy memories. Maybe it did start with a drunken one-night stand, and once she would have thought that when it comes to love, if you do the steps out of order, or if nothing came of it, then the whole thing was worthless. Now she knew with full conviction, that was not true. Maybe it had been complicated, maybe it ended with her feeling heartbroken, but during that time she had with him, she had gotten to love someone with all of her heart.

She had gotten the opportunity to know and feel true love, and she would never forget that bliss for as long as she lived. Even if things could never work out between them, she could continue walking through life knowing that feeling, and maybe, one day, when the pain was not so bitter, she could feel that sort of love again.

At least she knew something like love really existed now, and that was a precious memory.


	32. Filming Days

_A/N: I'm amused by how many people have played the otome that inspired this story. They'll realize, this side arc was not in the game. Many readers wanted to see more about the other teammates, and I had many ideas about what the commercial could have been like_ _— something that's completely left out of that storyline of the game_ _— so I'm adding in a bit extra.  
_

 _I was inspired by a recent opportunity I had to be an extra in the upcoming season of "Documentary Now." One episode is about a musical, and I'm a member of the orchestra. It was exciting to see how things work behind the camera, getting to see these hardworking talented actors hard at work, and the way comedy and slapstick is planned for optimal laughs. It was hard NOT to laugh at them. When the new season comes out, in the episode about a musical studio recording, look for the French horn lady (there were 3 of us) wearing all black with a bun on top of her head, and that's me. They used me for a few closeups, although mostly I'm a blur in the background._ ^_^

* * *

Chapter 32

 **Filming Days**

Finally, it was filming time. Lucy went to the studio early to meet with Millianna of Mermaid Heel and to set up her storyboards. Gray arrived not long after. As the copywriter, it was important to him that each line be delivered to evoke the right emotion. He nodded professionally to Lucy as they both kept out of the way of the set crew. They met with the actors and the director, who was glad to have them there to help guide her on the path of their vision.

Every person there knew this was one of the most important jobs they would ever work on. They had all heard about Fairy Tail's budget being slashed, so they were eager to work twice as hard, seeing this as a golden opportunity to finally make a name for themselves.

So although these were not big-name actors, although their portfolios were thin, Lucy was glad to see each one so eager to make this perfect. There were no divas in this studio, no one trying to tell her what she should _really_ do, or men trying to explain her job to her since she was _just a woman_. Mermaid Heel was made up of all women, focused and determined to make the greatest commercial Fiore had ever seen.

Still, many were new to the job, and Lucy felt like she had more work to do than normal.

"No, we need lighting over here. Yes … wait, wait. Madame Director, the old man needs to wait until the nurses in the background are cheering, and then he smiles. Right, his grandson lands the jump, they all cheer, and then the grandfather looks proud. There needs to be that moment of awe just before the smile, as a sport he thought was silly becomes something to make the family proud. Yes, thank you for working with me."

Gray was also busy coaching the actors on their lines. Lucy glanced over to watch him, glad to see that he also had a very specific vision. She had storyboarded this little tale they were presenting, but Gray had written the dialogue the audience would hear.

After that first day, everyone felt like something amazing had just happened. Although hard work, they could all sense that this commercial was special.

"Did you see the storyboards for the soldier overseas? It gave me chills just reading it. I sort of want to find out where they'll be filming that and go watch."

"I saw the whole script. There's a scene of the GMG participant after the Games are over."

"Oh my gosh, the grave scene? I sobbed!"

"He hangs his medallion up on his father's tomb, his whole team is behind him, then they all salute, and you see that his father died in the war."

"This is going to make my mother cry," one actress declared. "We lost my dad in the war. She's going to break down in tears."

"Oh, I'm crying already just thinking about it. This is going to be the best commercial in history."

"And to think, we're going to be a part of it."

Lucy was excited to hear all of their comments and praises. Although she had not meant for the commercial to be sad, per se, it definitely touched on some socially sensitive things: making elders proud, the innocent awe of children, being there to comfort a loved one when they fail, and celebrating with them when they win, even if you cannot be there personally.

The grave scene was her own personal addition, as she thought about how proud her mother in heaven would be if—no, _when_ —they won this account.

Gray came up to her and patted Lucy on the back. "Good work today. I don't know about you, but I could use some food. Would you like to get a bite to eat before we head back to Magnolia?"

"Sure," she said right away. Her stomach had been growling for over an hour.

It was only after they were walking to a nearby restaurant that Lucy thought about what Cana had said, that Gray had a crush on her. She already knew he was mildly interested, he had practically asked her out once already, so she wondered if he would do anything.

However, he was perfectly professional that day. They talked about the filming and the scenes coming up the next day. They were going to go on location, and that meant driving.

"I'm not sure if I can make the grave scene, to be honest," Lucy said, looking down at her plate. That had been her most private scene in this commercial, so she hated to miss it. "Mermaid Heel scouted out the perfect location, but no buses go near it."

"I can drive you," Gray offered. "I have a car; it's not a big deal for me to pick you up in the morning. I just need your phone number and address."

Lucy sighed in relief. "That'd be great. I really wanted to be there, especially for this one scene."

"It's the saddest scene," he said, looking concerned. "Why would you want to be there so badly?"

Lucy sipped some wine and looked around. They were on a deck that overlooked a city park, and although the sun was setting, they could see many people out walking dogs. It was a peaceful view, and she understood why Millianna had highly recommended the place.

"My mother," she whispered. "She died when I was a child. Part of the reason I got into storyboarding for advertisements was a commercial Mr. Leo made about the observatory."

"The mother taking her daughter?" he asked.

She jolted up. "Yes! Wait, you know that one?"

"It really touched my heart. You see, I lost my mom and dad when I was a kid."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," she cried out.

"Nah, I guess we're in the same boat on that one," he said, waving off her concern but smiling to receive it. "The way that mother looked at her child in that commercial—the actors, the music, the timing—all of it was aimed to hit people like you and me, people who have fond memories of loved ones and wish they could pass on those feelings. That's one thing I'll give to Mr. Leo. He can grab you by the heartstrings and dredge up the most primal emotions." Gray looked across the table at her. "You're the same as him."

Lucy gulped hard. "We're … the same?" She remembered Loke saying that once before.

—

" _We're the same, aren't we?_ _When I look at you, it's like I'm looking at my younger self._ "

—

"You have the same talent, the same ability to connect. It's like you bridge a gap between the television and the watcher. You open a gate and pull that person into your reality, making them go on an emotional journey with you. When the commercial ends, the watcher is left stunned, feeling like they just lived out a whole story in thirty seconds."

"Opening a gate, huh?" she mused.

"That's quite a rare talent," Gray praised, and he smiled as he sipped his iced coffee while gazing at her. "You're quite a unique woman, Lucy."

She blushed and looked aside. What could she even say to praise that bordered on flirting?

"Sorry if that was awkward," he muttered, and Gray pulled himself out of whatever he had been thinking. "If you want, I'll take you home today, so I'll know the way for tomorrow. It'll save you some money on train fare."

"That'd be great," she said. Despite the awkwardness just a moment earlier, she was honestly glad for his offer. Taking the train home from Mermaid Heel would take two hours longer than having someone drive her.

Gray smiled and his shoulders sank, almost as if he was deeply relieved by her answer.

Just then, the waitress came by. "How are we doing the bill today?"

Before Lucy could answer, Gray quickly said, "It'll be on my card." Lucy's mouth dropped, but he grinned at her. "You can get the next one."

Gray paid, and he showed her the way to where he had parked his truck. Traffic was bad at rush hour, but Gray listened to music the whole time, barely speaking, tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the songs. When they got into Magnolia, Lucy gave him directions to her apartment, and he dropped her off out front.

"I'll be by around eight," he said. "To pay me back, you buy the coffee."

Lucy knew that was not fair. Her dinner had been far more expensive than any cup of coffee, but she figured Gray was just being nice. They waved goodbye, and he stayed around until she went inside her apartment. Then she heard his truck rumble down the road.

Lucy went up to her room. As she opened the door, Plue leaped up in excitement, making his weird _pu-puun_ barking noises, happy to see her home so early. She smiled and sat on the couch with the small dog on her lap.

"What do you think, Plue?" she muttered. "Gray's really nice, but he's still a team member. He's not my superior though, so if we wanted to … I don't know," she sighed. "He might not even be interested, or serious about it. He might want nothing more than a hookup, and I don't want to go through _that_ again." She stroked Plue's head. "Is it so hard to find a guy who just wants romance?"


	33. Tugging on the Heart

Chapter 33

 **Tugging on the Heart  
**

The next day, Gray arrived at Lucy's apartment, she hopped into his truck, and they went to a drive-thru coffee shop Gray apparently knew well, because he had a massive thermos with their logo printed on the side, which they refilled with iced coffee like it was something they did every morning and was not at all strange that someone drank _that much_ coffee.

Then they settled into early morning traffic until they could get out of Magnolia. Once away from the city, the road opened up to green hills sprinkled with red and white barns and farmhouses. Lucy felt very strange. She had grown used to the way Loke drove, the smoothness of his sports car, the elegance of his fingers on the wheel, how he focused on driving as if it was a passion.

However, Gray kept looking off the road, gazing at the scenery, or fiddling with the music, as if driving was a chore. The car itself was purely utilitarian. It had scratches, dents, dried mud on the fenders, and the inside was well-used with a lingering smell of cigarettes. Still, Gray seemed like he was at home in the truck. As she looked at his profile, it was simply too different. Gray was a handsome man, to be sure, but … it was just not the same.

They arrived at the cemetery to see the film crew were already setting up equipment. Lucy and Gray met with the groundskeepers, thanking them for allowing this filming and promising the utmost respect of the surrounding graves. The place they had picked was on a hill, which gave the cameras a great scenic background, and it was part of many graves for the military. The previous weekend had been a patriotic holiday, so there were tiny national flags on each plot, as well as flowers on the graves people still visited. Lucy had to admit, doing this shot just after a holiday, when the resting places of fallen soldiers would be honored like that, was perfect.

However, she realized Gray had drifted off. They were still waiting for the actors to get finished with makeup, so she left to follow him. He went to another part of the cemetery, to a much more humble grave with the names Silver and Mika on the headstone. Lucy gasped as she caught the last name: Fullbuster.

"Is this your parents' grave?" she whispered. "I had no idea."

"It was just coincidence," he mumbled. "But to be honest, it's why I wanted to take you with me. I haven't been to their grave in years and … and I wasn't sure if I'd be okay," he confessed softly.

Lucy stepped up beside him for support.

"It was a while back, so I don't know if you've ever heard of Deliora the Devil."

"A serial killer, terrorized the area almost twenty years ago, that's all I know," Lucy said with a shiver in her arms.

Gray nodded to confirm that. "I was just a child. My father fought Deliora while my mother hid me. They sacrificed themselves to keep me safe. I owe them everything," he whispered, "yet I can barely bring myself to visit their grave."

"They don't need you to if it's painful," she assured. "I'm sure they would want you to remember them in whatever way brings you happiness. You have good memories of them, right?"

Gray smiled to himself. "Yeah, I do."

Lucy gazed off over the hillside. "My mother died of illness when I was little, and my father passed on just recently. I visited his grave once, but I haven't been back. I have some amazing memories of my mother, but my father … not so much," she muttered with a sad look on her face. "However, before she died, my mother told me to be happy in whatever way works for me." She closed her eyes, and Loke's face came to mind. "The problem is, you can't always be happy, and often something you dearly want simply can't work out. Sometimes, too much stands in the way of finding happiness."

Gray glanced back at her. "Are you talking about your _complicated_ relationship?"

She jolted. "Oh! That was rude of me. I'm so sorry. Here you are, facing your parents' grave…"

"It's okay," he assured. "You're right. They'd want me to be happy, whether that means not visiting their grave because it stirs up bad memories … or taking a chance." He reached over and took Lucy's hand. The bold move made her catch her breath. "You know, my offer from a while back still stands. If you wanna hang out, have fun … whatever you want," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "I know that would make me happy, and I hope it'd make you happy as well."

She blushed and could not meet his eyes. "Saying something like that, right in front of your parents' grave…"

"Especially here, in front of them. I think they'd like to know I can find someone as pretty as you." Gray tugged on his shirt nervously. "Y'know, if it doesn't work out, then that's okay. If we're better off as friends, I'm cool with that as well. I don't necessarily wanna _sleep with you_. I just thought we'd have a fun time together."

He didn't want to sleep with her? How different that was! "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, we both like to write, so maybe go attend a writing seminar, or drive around and check out a bunch of indie bookstores. Or if that's boring, there's a cinema in downtown Magnolia that shows old films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. You can't get much better than Bing Crosby or Rosemary Clooney."

Lucy had to chuckle at his old-fashioned style. "Yeah. Actually, I love browsing through bookstores, but I warn you," she said playfully, "I can be dangerous in those places."

"I like a woman who can be dangerous," he said with a flirtatious wink.

"No expectations, though. I want to start this off right, see if we're compatible." That was one thing she did not get to do with Loke. She only realized how similar they were and how fun he could be after he was trapped in an engagement and things had to end.

"Can I hold your hand?" asked Gray.

"Not right now. We're on the clock. Nothing at work."

"If you say so," he said with a lighthearted shrugged. "So, are you free Sunday? I have hockey on Saturday."

She smirked and folded her arms. "How about this? I'll watch your game on Saturday, and if you win, you can take me out on Sunday."

His mouth dropped. "You'd watch my game? Damn, none of my girlfriends wanted to watch a single hockey game."

"Maybe you suck," she teased.

"Hey! We were regional champions two years ago."

"Your parents would be proud of that."

Gray glanced back at the grave. "Yeah … Dad was into ice skating. I think he played hockey when he was younger, because I remember there were trophies in his and my mom's bedroom. He taught me how to ice skate pretty much as soon as I could stand on my own. He loved the ice … and so do I."

"He'd be proud to see you're continuing that legacy."

Gray's cheeks turned pink, and Lucy thought Gray's pride for his family was heartwarming. Then he turned aside and went down the hill toward the camera crew. "We should start getting ready."

"Do you need to stay by their grave a little longer? It's okay—"

"No," he cut in. "You're right. My parents would want to see me remembering them in happier ways. My mother would read me stories, and that's what led me to this job. My father loved being on the ice, and that's why I got into hockey. So simply by living my life, I'm remembering and honoring all that they instilled in me."

Lucy smiled at his resolve. She felt the same way. Maybe her parents had not intended for her to get into advertising, maybe her father strongly disapproved when she was in university, but it was Loke's commercial that reminded her of her mother, and it was that love that pulled her into this line of work.

She was honoring her mother's memory by making this commercial.

They returned to the camera crew and worked hard for hours. Although this scene would only be a few seconds in a commercial, everything about those few seconds had to be perfect: the movements of the actor, the facial expressions, even the way he saluted the grave. The military wardrobe could not be amiss in the slightest. That was when Lucy found out Gray had served in the military just after high school. He personally inspected the actors like a drill sergeant and ordered the wardrobe ladies to shine the shoes better and straighten the lapels.

Lucy was more focused on the emotions in the face of the main actor for this scene. The pride had to show through in his eyes, the sadness apparent in a tremble of his lips as they struggled to keep firm, and the determination needed to be blatant in his salute, realizing that winning a gold medal was not enough, it was only the beginning in a lifetime of honoring his fallen parent.

They all realized, this would be the emotional apex of this commercial. This was the moment when viewers got goosebumps and mouths dropped. If they were at all disrespectful in this scene, everything would crumble.

When they were done and the director called out "That's a wrap," everyone applauded. People shook hands and exchanged business cards as the feeling of having accomplished something amazing burned through the air.

They left the cemetery, and Lucy and Gray once again went to the groundskeepers to thank them and to be certain that the camera crew did no damage. Then they hopped into Gray's truck for the long ride back to Magnolia. Once again, the trip passed with Gray's music playing, and Lucy had to admit, she missed Loke's comfortable car seats.

He dropped her off with only a wave and saying he would see her at work tomorrow. Lucy was stunned that Gray had not used the high energy of that day to try to woo her, invite her out for drinks, steal a kiss, none of the sleazy tricks she had grown accustom to over the years. Lucy went into her apartment feeling buzzed from the excitement of that day. She hugged Plue up to her chest.

"It was perfect. The absolute perfect video shoot," she told the white dog, which only replied with _Pu-puun._ Then Lucy sighed and looked out her window. "I still don't know what to do about _him_ , though. I'm worried … I'm just not ready. Sheesh, how _could_ I be!" she exclaimed. Thoughts of Loke still pained her heart. "But Gray seems like the sort of guy who would wait until I'm ready to move on. That's a charming thing about him. He's so laid back. He flirts, but he doesn't really expect much. It's relaxing, but maybe a little … I don't know … boring?" She laughed and shook her head. "That flirty Lion got me used to thrills, and now probably everything will feel a bit dull compared to him."

She took Plue on his evening walk, cooked some dinner, but a deep ache set into her as she waited for the rice to finish. She felt so lonely, unlike she had ever felt in her years of living on her own. She wanted to talk to Loke, so badly it burned her heart. She wanted to tell him about the shoot, how perfect it was, how talented the lead actor was, how lonely she felt—

… No, she couldn't say anything about that. Loke was going to get married one day, probably soon, and Lucy refused to be a mistress.

It hurt.

Maybe it was okay to text him a progress report, just to keep him updated on the project. Yes, that was a perfectly normal thing for workmates to do. She pulled out her phone, her fingers began to type out the words, but she felt her heart racing.

They were just coworkers. She had nothing to be nervous about.

" _Just got back from the location shoot. All went perfect. The groundskeepers give their thanks. Will I see you on Tuesday?_ "

Lucy stopped, looked at that last sentence, and erased it. She did not want to sound desperate.

" _I will have a full report on Tuesday._ "

Yes, that was neutral enough. She clicked send and let out a breath she did not know she had been holding.

She missed getting late night calls from him. She missed his voice sizzling in her ear. She missed the eroticism of masturbating for one another over video chat. That thrill deep in her soul had been terrifying, but now she ached to feel it again.

She shook her head. She couldn't do this to herself. She had to let him go and move on.

Her phone buzzed, and she grabbed it frantically.

" _Good job, Miss Heartfilia. I'll look forward to reading your full report._ "

That was it. Short and sweet. If Loke had just sent the words " _I want to see you tonight_ ," she would have flown to him. Instead, he was respecting her wishes, and it hurt. Why couldn't he be the big bad boss who makes her think she has no choice but to give into him? Why did Loke have to be such a perfect gentleman?

Then, after over a minute, her phone buzzed again, and Lucy saw another text from Loke.

" _I hope your night is pleasant, Miss Heartfilia._ "

She held her phone to her chest as her eyelids burned. They were such simple words, and yet in them, in how long it took for him to send them, she knew what he was saying. He missed her, but he wished her the best.

She knew, just two words would bring him to her. Text " _I'm lonely_ ," and he would swoop back into her life.

It hurt to do nothing.

Tears were on her cheeks as her trembling fingers sent back a message. " _I hope the same for you, Mr. Leo. See you at work._ "

"Why am I doing thing?" she whispered to herself. It was only torturing her more.

Her phone buzzed again, and she almost did not want to look. If he said just one word, she would crumble, run back to him, be ravaged and thrilled, and she would regret it in the morning. She wanted no regrets with Loke.

However, it was another name on the screen. Gray Fullbuster. Lucy gulped down her heartache and checked the text.

" _Hey, good job today. I just emailed Mr. Leo a brief report._ "

Her lips twitched up. She bet Gray had no problem sending Loke a message. It was just reporting to the boss for him. She rather envied that simplicity.

" _Good job as well, Gray. I also texted Mr. Leo briefly. I think he'll be happy with the results of everyone's hard work._ "

So long as they won this account, so long as Loke's ambitions came true, he got his promotion, he made Fairy Tail number one in Fiore, and so long as he was happy, she would regret none of this.

Her phone buzzed again. " _I also want to thank you for being there with me at my parents' grave. You were a real support today._ "

The ache in her heart soothed. Maybe she could help Gray as well, as she slowly healed her own heart.

" _I'm glad you could see them, maybe get some closure._ "

" _A bit, yeah. I was really glad you were there. It helped._ "

Lucy felt warmth melting into her heart. " _Anytime, Gray._ "

She meant it, too. She knew the pain of losing her parents, and for Gray it had been a horrific tragedy, orphaned so young, probably bouncing around foster homes. No wonder he had a cold personality at first and was slow to warm up, yet he was growing closer to her, of all people. She felt he was strong to continue and become so successful after the trauma he must have experienced in childhood.

She wished she could tell him all that in a text, but it was too jumbled up in her head.

" _You're a fighter, and I'll cheer you on._ " Was that stupid and cliché? Maybe, but it's what came out of her fingertips.

" _Talking about cheering on, are we really on for Saturday? Hockey?_ "

She chuckled and wiped aside the last of the tears.

" _Yep! And remember, you only get to take me out on Sunday if you win!_ " Lucy chuckled to herself as she added a winking emoji to the text. It was just a little flirtatious, and it made her feel better.

There was a long pause, and she could see that Gray was typing, typing, typing. He was a copywriter, after all. He crafted his words carefully, and Lucy understood that. She waited for him to finish his thought, and it pinged through.

" _Look, about that. If my offer was offensive, I deeply apologize. Please don't think I'm trying to harass you. I just think you're a nice person, and it would be nice to hang out after work. Take that as platonically as you want, okay?_ "

That gentlemanly side really was endearing. Loke would have flirted and seduced her without worries about them being boss and subordinate. Like that night of phone sex, he would have thrilled her from afar and left her craving more. However, Gray worried about the implications of a workplace romance, he was concerned for her happiness, and he was cautious not to push her into something unwanted. It was different, but it was a nice change.

Lucy texted back: " _I'm not offended. If you ever cross a line, I'll let you know._ "

" _Yes, please do._ "

He was thoughtful, but the little happiness that stirred up in Lucy's heart also triggered the pain.

" _Thank you. You're a sweetie._ " Lucy paused at that word, grimaced, and backspaced. " _You're a really considerate man._ " She stopped again and shook her head. She did not want a message that was overly sweet, nor overly professional. She backspaced the whole thing. " _Thanks. That's thoughtful of you. I'll see you at work._ " She needed to end this conversation before her heart gave out from all the emotional struggles.

" _Yeah, see you, Lucy. Again, thank you for today and good job._ "

" _You're welcome, and good job as well._ " She sent that, but then Lucy smiled as she added a smiley with " _Good night!_ " attached to it.

Gray returned that ending with a sunglasses emoji and a text of " _Good night._ "

Then Lucy put her phone away. What a day! Her rice cooker dinged just then, so she finished preparing her dinner, letting the rote motions pull her away from everything else. Her heart was in too much chaos now, so she picked up Plue, carried him to her couch, and sat down to watch some television that would take her away from her own life's drama.


	34. Cold Comfort

Chapter 34

 **Cold Comfort**

Through the rest of that week, Lucy did not see Gray at work. He also did not text her, except when, after barely saying a word to her through Tuesday's team meeting, she texted him at work, figuring it was safe to say his presentation about the filming went well. He wrote back only "Thanks" and nothing else. She began to wonder if he was not as interested in her as he had seemed to be earlier, so she held back on texting anything more. Wednesday and Thursday passed with not a single word, and her worries grew. Then on Friday morning, he texted her to meet him for lunch.

When Cana, Levy, and Natsu all came to her desk around noon, Lucy felt her cheeks blush.

"Oh, I … I'm eating lunch with someone."

"Who?" Levy asked in excitement.

Lucy began to stutter, but just then Gray stopped by her cubicle.

"Oh good, I didn't miss you," he said with a beaming smile. "I was thinking we could go to a bistro down the street."

Cana grabbed Lucy's arm and whispered, "Damn, girl, when you move on, you pick 'em _hot_."

Lucy frantically tried to hush her.

Meanwhile, Natsu stomped up right in front of Gray. "What's a cold bastard like you planning to do to her?"

Gray's eyes narrowed. "Do to her? We're going to eat lunch, you flame-headed idiot."

Natsu pointed his finger into Gray's chest. "If you break her heart as well—"

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out, worried he might let something slip about her and Loke. "Gray and I have been working closely on the commercial shoots, so obviously we need time to talk outside of our duties here at work."

Cana leaned in with excitement. "Are you two dating yet?"

Lucy gasped at her boldness.

"Well, that depends," Gray said, smiling at Lucy. "It sounds like I have to win my hockey game tomorrow if I want a date with her."

Natsu muttered under his breath, "Maybe I should set your hockey stick on fire."

Lucy smacked his arm to be quiet and walked away from the group with Gray.

Levy sighed, "She's finally happy again. That's good."

Natsu grumbled, "Another guy from work!"

Cana looked over at him. "Another? Then do you know about her and you-know-who?"

Natsu did not answer, but by his face, it was obvious he knew.

* * *

Outside, Lucy and Gray went to a small café just down the street. Lucy saw other people from work eating there and at the surrounding restaurants. After placing her order, she finally released the tension in her shoulders.

"I apologize for Natsu."

Gray merely shrugged. "I've worked with him before. We simply don't get along. Polar opposites, y'know." He glanced across the table at her. "You two were childhood friends, right?"

Lucy nodded. "Natsu's always been protective, but sometimes he overdoes things."

Just then, a waitress came up with their food. They both hungrily took bites of sandwiches, and Lucy was amazing to find that it tasted really good.

Gray went on. "Natsu said, _if you break her heart as well_. I'm assuming your little complicated issue is over, and it ended badly."

Lucy felt a stab to her heart. "Yeah, it's over," she whispered, feeling empty inside as she said it. "I wouldn't say it ended _badly_. It was my choice to end it—I'm simply not good at dealing with _complicated_ —but it's still not easy. I'm still getting over things."

He reached over and patted her arm consolingly. "I understand. If you need time, just let me know. Like I said, I think you'd be fun to hang out with, but I'm not the sort of guy who's going to expect anything in return. I hate guys like that! I think you'd be fun company, that's all."

"Fun? Even though I'm dealing with this?"

Gray shrugged laconically. "We're all dealing with some crappy thing in our lives. At the very least, I can be there if you wanna talk about it."

How could she possibly talk about it to Gray, though? He worked with Loke, same as her. Lucy set her sandwich down. "What is it that you want, then?"

"Want?" Gray gave her a casual shrug. "Whatever feels right. I don't want to be a rebound, but I'm not going to shove you aside just because you're dealing with something personal. If you need time, I'm not in any rush. Of course, I think you're really cute, I wouldn't mind a romantic relationship, but I know we're both focused on winning the GMG account. I need a break from always thinking about work, and I can tell that you do, too."

"So, you just want me around to … to take a break from things?"

"Sure, have some fun. If that means looking at bookstores together, I'm cool with that, and if it means more … well, we'll see when we get there."

"And longterm?"

Gray laughed awkwardly. "I try not to think about _longterm_. That's how I get my hopes crushed."

Lucy hummed and looked out at the traffic zooming past. "I think hanging out as friends would be really nice, but I'll be honest. I've thought about it all week, and … I'm not sure if I'm ready for dating again. Or whatever," she muttered, realizing she and Loke had not really been _dating_. "I need to get my life back in order, and that's not going to happen until after we win this account."

"Fair enough," Gray decided. "Afterward, if you're still not ready … I'm being honest, if romance happens, that's great, but if not, I still want to hang out as friends."

"Just friends?" she challenged. "You don't want to get close just to sleep with me?"

Gray looked slightly disgusted at the idea. "Okay, I think we need an honest moment here. I find you very attractive, but I don't want to sleep with you right now."

That stunned her, and Lucy was left with her mouth hanging open.

"I think you're a lovely woman, I admire your talent and hard work, but I don't sleep with someone I don't fit with. Do you understand what I mean? I need to know that there's more than just a physical attraction; there has to be an emotional and spiritual connection there, or else I'm simply not interested."

"Okay, I understand that. No one-night-stands," she said, realizing that was how she used to think before her incident with Loke. "So, are you getting close to me just to see if you want to sleep with me?"

"That depends. I want to know if there's more to this, but there might not be, and I'm okay with that. Even if there is more on my behalf, if you decide you're not interested in me that way, it's called _being friends_. I, for one, am not the sort of person who believes a man and a woman cannot have a friendship without sexual attraction getting in the way."

Lucy was truly impressed by his answer. "You're a rare breed, Gray."

"Respecting a woman shouldn't be so rare."

"If only!" she sighed.

"Was your last boyfriend that sort of prick?"

"No," she whispered. "No, he respected my wishes. Even when I wanted to break up, he didn't try to fight to win me back."

Gray looked down and drummed his fingers on the table. "Is it okay if I ask what it was about him that made you decide to call it off? It sounds like you really respected him, and he respected you."

"There was another woman."

"Ah," he said awkwardly.

"No! Not like he was cheating on me. He wasn't sleeping around. It's just … he … you see, his family … it's complicated," she sighed.

"I don't need gritty details. Like I said before, I've done _complicated_. It wasn't fun."

"Well, we can start our completely platonic friendship by me watching your hockey game tomorrow."

"Are you seriously planning to go?" he asked, looking stunned by that.

She shrugged. "It sounds like fun, and you're right, I need a break. This account has consumed me, and I end up thinking about it even on weekends. My brain needs a rest from all of this."

He reached across the table, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. "Nothing freezes your worries away like playing on the ice. I'll have to make sure the game is interesting for you."

Lucy giggled and felt herself blushing, which made Gray smile with a gentle gaze.

Lucy knew she had to be honest with him up front. Leaving Loke had hurt, and she needed time. She had fallen deeply in love, and it would not be fair to Gray if he was merely a rebound. Also, her heart still drifted to Loke's sensual touches late at night. She knew she was not ready for anything intimate when all she could think about were those long fingers and the softness of his lips.

Hanging out as friends, though, sounded like fun. If something developed between them, then it had to be at a pace she wanted. This time, she was going to do things in the right order, and she was going to get to know Gray first before doing anything she might regret as a mistake.

* * *

In a fancy restaurant across the street, Loke sat with Makarov Dreyar. They were talking about offers already coming in at merely the rumor that Fairy Tail was a contender for the Grand Magic Games commercial. However, instead of focusing on a lucrative soda ad to be aired during the Games, Loke's eyes were out the window, seeing Lucy blushing while Gray held her hand and gazing at her with tenderness.

"Loke?" Makarov said, realizing his Creative Director was spacing out.

Loke let out a sigh and looked away. "Sorry. A storyline was running through my head, one I missed out on."

Makarov wondered what he meant by that, but he knew that sometime these creative sorts said odd things. "I heard you spoke to the king again last night."

"Sorry, sir, but I don't wish to ruin my appetite," Loke said with a scowl on his regal face.

The old CEO pouted at the harshness in those narrow, green eyes. "I know you made a promise to me, but don't ruin your life just to keep it. Fairy Tail will become number one, of that I have no doubt. Whether if it's under my leadership or my grandson's, the talent to make that happen already exists, you included." Makarov looked at him firmly. "Don't ruin your life for your job."

"My life _is_ my job, sir," Loke muttered. "Or, it has been for so long, I barely know what _my life_ even is anymore. A home near my job, a car to get me to my job, clothes that are all for my job, relationships…" He paused, and his face looked miserable for a brief moment before shoving the emotions down. "As I said, I barely know how to have a life that isn't entwined with work. Doing this, creating ads, was my way of rebelling against the life my family wanted, deciding for myself what _my life_ was going to be. It was against their wishes and threatened my stand with them. So in a way, this actually is the life I chose: doing a job I love and pursuing my own ambitions."

Makarov shook his head. "Then be certain you save a drop of happiness that's only for you, Loke."

"Happiness?" His gaze flicked out the window to the view of blond hair and a bright smile. "It seems that's one thing I have no talent for, sir."


	35. Final Meeting

Chapter 35

 **Final Meeting**

Lucy did end up going to Gray's hockey game. She felt nervous at first. She had never watched a live game of hockey, and all she knew about the game was from watching _The Mighty Ducks_ as a kid. She mostly knew the reputation: rowdy crowds, bloody fighting on the ice, players with lots of missing teeth. Gray did not really fit that image, though, and the crowd was small since this was a local team.

Then the teams skated out, and she saw FULLBUSTER on the back of one jersey. She shouted out to Gray, and his eyes met hers up in the crowd. He saluted her with his hockey stick and gave her a winking smile that melted her a bit, despite the chill of the arena.

Although there was one fight, it was no Gray who threw his gloves off and began to pound the other player in the head. He did check plenty of people into the wall, but perhaps because he wanted a good date later, he refrained from fighting. Still, his team won.

She stayed around until he was done in the locker room, and Gray took her out to dinner that night. They chatted about how he got into the game, playing in high school, but having to stop while he served in the military, only to pick it up again with an amateur local team. Then he drove her home, and they made plans for lunch the following day.

On Sunday, they met up for a bite and walked along the downtown streets, randomly checking out shops. As they strolled through a bookstore, Lucy saw a book about the history of the Grand Magic Games. With the GMG coming to Fiore, these sorts of books were being published everywhere.

"Look, Gray," she said, excitedly pointing to a page with an ad for the Games from almost a century ago, the last time it was hosted in Fiore. "Isn't it exciting? We're working on an ad that could be in a history book like this. If we win, of course."

Gray frowned and turned away. "Of course we'll win," he said, although he did not sound happy.

Lucy slowly lowered the book. "Well, of course we're going to try our best, and I'm confident—"

"We'll win," Gray snapped, still upset. "Mr. Leo made sure of that, right?"

Lucy's mouth dropped. A shiver went through her arms as she recalled the meeting in Crocus and the confrontation with the king. "We still have to work hard," she whispered.

"I, for one, am," he grumbled, "although I question if we _have to_."

"Gray…"

"I don't want to talk about work," he said sharply.

Lucy closed the book and put it back. However, her hand rested on the cover.

"We still have to prove Fairy Tail is the best," she said with determination.

* * *

More days passed, and into another week, then another. Lucy and Gray traveled together for filming, and they went out to the movies the following weekend. She had to admit, he was lots of fun to be around. Work weeks passed by smoother when she had something to look forward to on the weekends. However, when once it looked like Gray was about to lean in for a kiss, she found herself turning away, acting like she had not seen his move.

Filming concluded, post-production was almost complete, and although the team still had once-a-week meetings, even those were often delegated to Freed. Loke seemed to be constantly busy with the final details, and Lucy had not seen him in Fairy Tail in two solid weeks.

Apparently, neither had anyone else, and there were rumors around Fairy Tail about if he had been in a car accident, or kidnapped, or arrested, or ran off after a woman. Freed assured the team that none of that was true. Loke ended up so busy with meetings in Crocus, he had simply rented an extended-stay hotel there. Gray bitterly muttered if it was about the _presentation_ or his _engagement_ , but a sharp clearing of Freed's throat warned them all that this subject was never to be mentioned at work.

Lucy ignored that by focusing during the work week. Although her main jobs were over, she had to be certain all preparations for the presentation were perfect. Nothing less would do, and the future of the entire company was on the line. Natsu helped her learn the equipment to play the commercial during the presentation, Gray proofread her speech to the judges, and even Freed helped her with how to speak in public without looking nervous, drilling her on posture and inflection of voice.

Finally, it was time for the very last Team Leo weekly meeting. As Lucy went over her concluding report, she thought about the past few months. She had been so intimidated at first to be put on a team with such amazing people. As her concept kept getting rejected, she had panicked, filled with self-doubts, convinced she was not good enough. Looking back, even that was a good experience that helped her to grow. Getting rejections helped her to build endurance and dedication. It forced her to work harder, to get better, to mature as a creator, and in the end it was a lesson in humility and perseverance.

More importantly, this was the first and last piece of work she would create that contained her feelings for Loke. She would not have come up with the idea, she would not have had such inspiration, and she probably would have given up right away, if it had not been for her admiration of him, and for his belief in her. Her entire worldview had been changed, and she knew it would help her with her work from now on. It was a career milestone, and she was glad Loke had confidence in her.

She finished checking over everything, saved it to a tablet, and headed off to the weekly Tuesday meeting. Gray met her in a hallway, and he smiled at her. They walked together into the office, and to her surprise, Loke was back. She supposed, with the presentation coming up and this being their last team meeting, he wanted all of them to be on the same page.

The time apart had done Lucy good. She no longer felt awkward when she looked at him, but it seemed she was the only one who felt that way. Gray stiffened instantly, and the smile he had for Lucy sank into a bitter glare for Loke.

Still, the group gathered and went through their concluding reports one by one. Lucy felt tension in the air, but she was not sure if it was just eagerness that the competition was happening so soon, or something more.

"One note about the presentation material Lucy submitted," Loke said. "I'd like Natsu to offer a supplementary explanation when you get to this part."

Natsu's eyes just narrowed at him, and he said nothing.

"Natsu?" Lucy looked over, surprised he was not quick to yell that he was _all fired up_. "What's wrong?"

His words were caustic. "Is a supplementary explanation really necessary? Whether if we all work hard or you mere phone it in, won't this whole thing be decided when you give the king your answer?"

Freed snapped his head over, obviously enraged that Natsu broke the rules that they had all silently agreed upon, to never bring up _that_ subject.

Lucy looked around and saw a glaring look from Gray as well. She also realized, although Freed and Loke were old friends, he was not instantly coming to Loke's defense. She sensed he, too, was concerned about this issue. He was not angry like Gray and Natsu, but worried.

After all, Loke got Fairy Tail this chance to make a presentation by promising to consider the king's daughter as a wife, and the king had blatantly told Lucy that if he did not get engaged, Fairy Tail would not win the account.

Gray had asked on that day if the account was fixed the whole time, and when she was with him at the bookstore, he made it clear that he thought they would win no matter what they personally did. It seemed that was what everyone assumed was the case. On that day with the king, Loke had not given any of them a direct answer, and his silence was practically an admission. Perhaps because of that, Gray and Natsu now looked at Loke with distrust.

"Mr. Leo," Gray said, and the anger was just barely on the edge of his voice. "We still haven't heard any explanation from you about the king, and you, and this presentation."

Loke still just stared at him with a reticent, neutral face.

Gray pressed on. "What was the point of us doing all of this? You said we could affect the future of Fairy Tail, and we _believed_ you," he said, nearly shouting, yet Gray sank a little, looking hurt. "In the end, you alone had that power. You didn't need any of us. Isn't that right?" he asked bitterly.

"Hey, wait a minute," Lucy cried out. "Mr. Leo—"

"Miss Heartfilia," Freed said with the harshest voice he had ever used toward her.

She looked over at him, stunned by the tone she had heard him use only with irresponsible underlings. Freed merely shook his head, silencing her.

"When it comes to this matter," Freed said softer, "it doesn't matter what you or I say. They won't hear us, not now, when conditions have aligned to make things appear a certain way."

"Appear a certain way?" she whispered, but she knew he had a point. After speaking with the king, Lucy was certain Loke had been pressured into the engagement, maybe even threatened. Gray and Natsu needed to hear this from Loke himself, not from her.

It also showed her that Freed still trusted Loke, and for that she was glad.

"You bring up a valid point, Mr. Fullbuster," Loke said, and he drummed his fingers on his desk. "At the moment, I can't do anything about the distrust you're feeling. I also can't be certain you're taking this seriously anymore. I overlooked that as an issue, and that was my mistake." Loke looked down at his pacing fingers and hummed to himself. Then suddenly, his head jolted up, and he looked all around. "I hate to ask this of you when you're all so busy, but would you come with me?"

"Come with you?" Natsu asked, looking like he would rather fight Loke than accompany him anywhere.

"I have to meet someone who's in town for today only. I would very much appreciate it if you all came with me."

Freed's eyes widened. "Loke! You don't mean—"

"Freed," he snapped, but Loke smiled at his old friend. "Trust me."

Freed's forehead pinched, but he closed his mouth.

"This is important in order for us all to be on the same page during the presentation. It's a matter for the whole team now. So, I'd like you to come with me."

Lucy spoke up right away and raised her hand. "Of course I'll go."

Freed nodded loyally. "As will I."

Natsu and Gray looked a little confused, but they nodded ambivalently.

"Thanks," Loke said, sounding relieved. "Let's go, then."

He raised from his chair and strode out of the room. Freed followed right beside him, trying to question him, but Loke would not tell him what this was about. Lucy followed after. She was not completely sure what he had planned, but if it was for the team, then she trusted Loke. Gray and Natsu shuffled along behind them, still frowning but growing curious.

* * *

They all fit into a company van and took off, with Natsu almost vomiting in the backseat, and Lucy glad the van had three benches, so they could throw him into the very back. They drove across Magnolia, and Loke pulled up to a posh hotel known for being used by the rich and famous.

"I'm just glad he's in town today," he muttered.

The group followed Loke into a sprawling foyer with chandeliers and furniture that looked like it was probably three hundred years old. Lucy gazed all around with her mouth opened. She had only heard about this hotel and walked past it. She had always been afraid that if she approached too closely, the doormen would demand for her to leave, yet Loke walked in as if he was used to it. By the way one of the bellhops tipped his hat in familiarity, Lucy wondered if Loke frequented this hotel.

She looked over to Gray and Natsu, but their eyes were ahead in wide astonishment. Lucy almost crashed into Freed, and when she stopped short to look ahead, she saw the issue. Seated in two of those elegant chairs were the king and his dainty daughter, Aries. This time, there was no doubting her identity. Instead of the little white dress, she wore a custom-made gown fit for nobility.

This was her, the woman who would marry Loke.

"Excuse me, my king," Loke said with a bow.

"You're early, old friend," the king said, rising and towering above them all.

Loke then took up the woman's hand. "Aries, charming as always." He gave her fingers a kiss, yet he shot over an instantly cold expression to the king. "I didn't think you'd bring her."

"I'm sorry," Aries squeaked out.

The king answered. "You said you had something to discuss before the presentations." They all saw the smug smile on his face. "I assumed that must be about the engagement, so of course I brought her. My question is, why are your lackeys in tow?"

Natsu stomped and shouted, "Who're you calling a lackey, you giant mustache?"

Gray held him back. "Whoa, easy. That's the king you're talking to."

The king raised a huge, bushy eyebrow. "What's the meaning of this, old friend?"

"Loke?" Aries asked, looking confused.

"I didn't come alone because I wanted you to see my resolve." Loke suddenly bowed deeply to them both. "Concerning the offer of engagement … I respectfully decline."

Lucy's mouth dropped. She felt like she might have shouted, except the king beat her to it.

" _What?_ " His voice boomed throughout the entire foyer, bringing over the attention of everyone.

"Loke," Freed said, sounding relieved.

"Wait, what?" Natsu looked between Loke and the king. "What, what?"

"Oh God, he just damned us all," Gray lamented. "Sir, you don't have to do this for us."

"I know," Loke said, smiling back at him. "This is my choice, and I never think of choices made with my heart as mistakes."

Loke's eyes briefly flicked over to Lucy, and she nodded to him, remembering what he said about their first night not being a mistake. Then Loke turned back to the king.

"Months ago, you called me to your palace, completely out of the blue. I hadn't heard from you in a good three years. You asked me if I'd like the opportunity to work on advertising for the Grand Magic Games. Who wouldn't? You said you could convince the city planners in Crocus about opening the GMG account to all agencies instead of just using Sabertooth like usual. Of course, I leaped at the idea. I was a fool to think you were being altruistic. There was a catch: meet with your daughter for an _omiai_. Strange conditions, but it seemed like such a small price, and at the time I even figured that marrying her could further my ambitions. So I met with her. Charming woman," he said with a genteel smile to Aries.

She blushed and tucked her chin down.

"I met with her a few times, as promised, but nothing ever really clicked between us. Still, I know a good opportunity when I see it. Even if we did not match up as a couple, she was a brilliant woman and an excellent insider. We spent many dinners talking as she gave me ideas about what would best impress the city planners and the GMG committee. I used her information to guide my own team. She was especially helpful to Natsu, getting the TV slots at the lowest cost. I almost felt like I was cheating, using her vast knowledge like that."

Natsu nodded ambivalently, showing that indeed, he had been working with Aries.

Loke went on. "Then she came to my work one night with a dire warning. For reasons she did not understand, you were trying to sabotage Fairy Tail."

Lucy's mouth dropped. She remembered the night Aries had come to Fairy Tail looking fretful and asking for Loke. Lucy had been feeling spiteful, having just argued with Natsu about Loke. Still, she warned that he was busy preparing for the commercial shoot, and Aries had said that that was the reason she needed to talk to him. Lucy had thought it odd at the time, but ignored it. Just days later, Loke announced the budget slash. Had she gone there to give Loke some insider information? Now Lucy felt bad that she had thought of Aries as a meddling bitch.

"You convinced the committee to slash our funds," Loke continued, "but only after Sabertooth was done with filming, thus you had no reason to slash their budget. You thought I would be forced to turn to you, beg you, be willing to do _anything_ to get those funds returned. I came close, too. Luckily, our team came up with a solution." He looked back to the team again. "They put everything into it, and even though slashing our budget by half was unfair, they made it work. That's how talented the people of Fairy Tail are."

They all beamed with pride.

"Then," said Loke, "with no warning or prior discussion, you barged into that meeting with the city planners and decided to test me, right there in front of my teammates. You brought up actually getting engaged with Aries, something I had no intention of doing anymore. Cutting our funds wasn't enough to make me beg, so instead you threatened me. Get engaged, or you can kiss the GMG account goodbye."

Natsu jolted. "What?" he said, the word slipping out of his dropped mouth. Then he leaned over and whispered to Gray, "I thought we only got a chance because Loke was going to marry his daughter."

"I know," Gray said, looking just as stunned. "Looks like that was the first Mr. Leo had heard about it. In fact, that means the king basically—"

Freed elbowed him sharply, but they were all thinking it.

The king had used Aries as a pawn to threatened Loke. He sabotaged them by cutting funds, then threatened to not give Fairy Tail even a chance to fight. Not only that, but the king now simply stood there, not even trying to deny it.

Loke raised his finger up as he paced slightly. "I couldn't understand one thing at first: why me? Why would you want some Creative Director of a marketing firm to marry the Celestial Lamb of Fiore? Was Aries really that madly in love with me? Maybe the fact that we were hanging out as friends, not lovers, broke her heart. My apologies, Aries, if that was the case."

"Oh, no," she squeaked. "That is, I'm honored that you wanted to be friends with me. Although, I admit, I was wondering if I wasn't enough for a gentleman like you."

Loke bowed to her. "You're far too good for me, my lady. You deserve a real nobleman, not a wily lion." Then his eyes narrowed at the king, and Loke's face grew even colder. "I know now why you would threaten my career, the reputation of Fairy Tail, and even one of my subordinates."

Lucy almost gasped, especially as Loke's eyes glanced over at her. Did that mean Loke knew all along that the king had threatened her to break up with Loke? She was speechless.

"All you wanted was my familial connection to the Regulus Clan. This whole time, it was all about power and money."

Just then, Aries shot a critical look over at the king.

"I'm sorry, but … did you really threaten Loke and his friends, all so he would marry me?"

At her angry little voice, the king took a step back and looked worried for the first time. "Well, Aries, you see, I…"

"Why?" she bleated out. "Why would you do something like that? Loke's a man I've admired ever since we were children. Why would you threaten his friends?"

Lucy suddenly felt sorry for Aries. The poor girl was innocent, just a lamb caught between a lion and a hungry wolf. The king had done the plotting all on his own, probably even urging her feelings for Loke, all for what? Just because Loke was a son of the Regulus Clan? Was winning them over really that critical to the king?

The king turned his chagrin into anger and directed it at Loke. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Exactly as I said," Loke said coolly. "There will be no engagement. You wanted to back me into a corner. Well, a lion fights fiercest when cornered. Right now, I'm fighting for the honor of Fairy Tail. What sort of fight has a victory that's rigged from the beginning? That's not a win, and Fairy Tail aims to win this fair and square. If the presentation next week is going to be directly tied to this engagement, then we'll fight our damnedest to the very end. We will give those city planners a presentation so spectacular, everyone will see for themselves the talent of Fairy Tail!"

Lucy could only stare at Loke's back, but she was shaking her head. Why would he do this? What about his promise to Makarov? She wanted to win this at all cost, even if it meant giving up on Loke and burying her feelings for him, because it was a promise he had made to someone he was indebted to, that he would make Fairy Tail the number one agency in Fiore.

"I implore you, my king," Loke said with a firm face. "Please judge the presentations fairly, without involving Aries, and without threatening my team nor the city planners. It's the right thing to do … for all of Fiore."

The king bellowed, "Do you dare try to give a command to me? Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you? I can _crush_ you and your puny agency."

"You probably could destroy me," Loke admitted, "but not even you could stop Fairy Tail. You'd be facing so many strong, talented individuals, not even someone like you could bring them all down."

"Loke," Freed whispered as his face beamed with honor.

"You need me to win this, Leo," the king warned.

"I don't want to win by making a shady deal," said Loke. "It would defeat my pride as a member of Fairy Tail, and it would mean I don't believe in my team's abilities." He glanced back at the four people behind him. "I have full confidence that my team has created a campaign that Sabertooth could only _dream_ of."

Both Natsu and Gray looked proud. Any doubts they had earlier were gone.

The king growled, "I can destroy all that hard work of yours without lifting a finger."

Aries gasped. "Father!"

Loke's eyes narrowed. "Challenge accepted."

Natsu chuckled slyly, and Lucy saw that he had his ' _I'm all fired up_ ' look in his eyes.

"Whatever schemes you try," said Loke, "I have full confidence that the GMG committee will be on our side. This team can do that. _Fairy Tail_ can do that. I believe in them."

Then he bowed first to the king, then to Aries with a regretful smile to her. She smiled back, sad but looking like she was proud of his dignity in the face of such an intimidating opponent. Lucy and the others also bowed, and they followed Loke as he stormed out of the hotel.

Lucy faintly heard Aries whisper, "Father, how _dare_ you!"

She would have loved to stay and watch that dainty woman berate the king, but Lucy had a commercial account to win.

* * *

 _A/N: I just **had** to toss in "The Mighty Ducks." I was an extra in the 2nd movie. During the final game, I'm in the audience, one of 15,000 people at the beginning, and one of maybe 30 by the end. As the audience dwindled, they kept moving us around the arena, filling in spaces with cardboard cutouts. In the final slow-mo shot, I'm directly behind the player's bench. It's the only time I can actually point and say "There I am!" For that scene, we were told to cheer and jump up and down in slow motion, so that the actor could skate at normal speed, making that final goal with precision. On film, the slow-mo is only slightly slower than his actual speed, but it looks like he's skating very fast in relation to our molasses-like cheering. It was hilarious._


	36. A King's Plans

Chapter 36

 **A King's Plans**

They went back to the company van and gathered in front of it. Loke finally let out a sigh, then turned to face them.

"Now you know," he said sternly.

"Mr. Leo," Gray began to say.

"'If you want to open up the competition, I'd like you to meet my daughter,'" Loke quoted, even taking on a little of the king's basso voice. "Those were the conditions that led to us getting a presentation slot. I agreed, he brought up the suggestion to the city planners, but I had to convince them to let Fairy Tail have a chance. In return, I met with his daughter to see if a marriage could be arranged. After a few formal meetings, we both decided not to pursue it further."

Natsu looked oddly thoughtful. "So, you were never actually engaged, and you didn't make any promises that'd be tied to the outcome of the presentation?"

"No, only a promise that if he opened up an opportunity, I would meet his daughter. We never once discussed the competition itself, nor the end result."

"Okay," muttered Natsu. "Then that means…"

"Yes," Loke said rigidly. "The king wanted to coerce me into marrying his daughter. I never agreed to anything like that. Actually marrying her, let alone receiving his assistance in the judging, was never part of our terms. The day he brought it up when we were in Crocus, I was so stunned, I couldn't think of a way to explain it to you guys. Then I found out he had threatened Miss Heartfilia."

Both Gray and Natsu looked ready to burst. "He _what_?" they screamed together.

"She was the only one who personally approached the king to call him out on this."

Gray gawked at her. "You called out the king on his bullshit?"

She laughed awkwardly. "It wasn't a big deal, really. I just told him that he should respect how hard we worked."

"It _was_ a big deal, confronting him like that in public," Loke told her. "For her boldness, the king tried to discredit her, probably hoping I'd be forced to kick her off the team."

Natsu looked down. "The photo that went viral of you two."

"Yes, that was the first time. There were other attempts, but I managed to avert them before anyone else found out. I especially did not want Miss Heartfilia to know about these attempted attacks, because we needed her talented mind at full capacity. I didn't want any of the rest of you to face that, I wasn't sure that I could block even more attempts at sabotage, so I simply didn't tell you the details. I had hoped to figure out a way to deal with the king whilst avoiding a confrontation, but after all these weeks, I came up with nothing. A confrontation was the only option. That's why we came here."

Gray still looked lost. "Why would the king go so far as coercion just to get you to marry his daughter? Are you secretly a prince?"

Loke chuckled and shook his head. "My mother's family has some powerful sway and money. A while back, they invested in a certain solar energy company, and that made us one of the top three wealthiest families in Fiore. A few months ago, I was named heir to the Regulus Clan. Shortly after that, the king called me to his palace, first on the pretense of celebrating me being named as the heir, but then he brought up the Grand Magic Games. I thought he was being helpful, and meeting his daughter was nothing big, since I've known Aries since we were children. For a moment, I even thought marrying her was the right thing to do." His eyes turned to Lucy. "It was a highly tempting offer, but in the end nothing clicked between us. I couldn't force myself to marry her just for a promotion and prestige. I would be sick with myself if I used a woman in that way."

Lucy struggled not to smile too widely and give away their secret.

Gray was still astounded. "So, he mentioned the engagement in front of all of us just to threaten you, and probably to sow discord into our team."

Loke gave a stern nod, almost scowling but obviously holding himself back. "He rather enraged me when he said those words during our meeting in Crocus, but … well, he's our king. I could say nothing against him in a public setting like that, with so many people around. Then Miss Heartfilia was threatened, and I wanted to protect the rest of you. I thought if you were kept ignorant, the king would not bother targeting you, like he targeted her. I didn't realize that my silence about this would impact the team so negatively."

He looked at each of them, then Loke bowed deeply from the waste. All of them cringed back at such a humbling gesture.

"Mr. Leo!" Gray and Natsu cried out in unison.

"Please, stop that," Lucy whispered, shaking her head.

Freed also looked troubled. "You don't have to do that, Loke."

"No," he said, his face to the ground. "The fact is, I acted on my own, I kept secrets from you, I did not consider the feelings of my teammates, and I'm really, truly sorry to each of you."

Natsu and Gray both looked awkward. However, it was Gray who made the first move.

"Apology accepted, sir. We already know how stubborn and proud you can be."

Natsu smiled slightly. "Yeah, and so long as you trust us to fight until the end, it's fine."

Loke raised back up, and there was a relieved smile on his face. "We'll be going into this with a strike against us, so I need all of you to help out. I have a lot on the line with this account. We can't lose it to Sabertooth. Or rather … we _must_ win."

Natsu bit his lip, but finally he quietly said, "Can I ask you a question?" Loke nodded. "If you want to win this no matter what, why break off the engagement? If you did what the king wanted, we'd have won the account for sure. I may not like the idea of winning that way—in fact, I hate it—but in terms of ambition, that's a hell of a boost for you."

"Yes, well … I had some pretty convincing reasons to finally be honest to you all."

Loke's eyes stayed on the ground, but Natsu looked over at Lucy, who had an awestruck expression. Natsu turned his eyes away. Then his fists tightened, and he burst out in fiery enthusiasm.

"Well, what are we standing around for?" he shouted energetically. "We have an account to win. I dunno about you, but I'm even more fired up than before, knowing we're going in at a disadvantage."

Gray laughed in agreement. "It makes this feel like a battle again."

"It is one," Loke said, amused by Natsu but also serious about the work. "We're going to go up against Sabertooth, the number one agency in the kingdom, but we're also going up against the king. I honestly can't think of two more intimidating foes to fight."

Lucy clenched her fist. "We'll do our best, Mr. Leo."

He glanced over at her with a searching smile. "I know you will." Then he gazed around at all of them. "Let's get back to Fairy Tail and kick some ass."

They cheered and opened up the van.

"First, let's get some pizza while we're out," said Natsu.

"Not if you throw it up," grumbled Gray.

"What did you say, droopy-eyes?" Natsu shouted.

Loke chuckled at them. "Let's return the van first, then we'll go for pizza, my treat."

As they piled in, Lucy was the last to climb inside the back. Loke took her arm to keep her aside.

"I just want you to know, I did that for myself, nothing else," he whispered.

She gulped as she realized what he meant. After all, she had broken up with him because of the supposed engagement, and now that was over. However, she was with Gray. Well, they were not really _dating_ , more like just outings as friends, but he was obviously aware of them being together.

She firmly met his eyes. "I hope that from now on, you're more honest with all of us."

"I promise, I will be. It's caused enough trouble and pain."

She bit her lower lip, wondering if their separation really was as painful to him as it had been for her.

Loke gave her arm an encouraging pat. "Let's focus on work and making this the best commercial in Fiore's history."

She firmed up. He was telling her not to worry about what to do about Gray now, and to keep her mind on the real goal: beating Sabertooth, and now also the king. They could worry about the rest afterward.

"I'm glad you did this," she said, feeling her cheeks warm up. "Also, I'm glad you allowed us to come and hear the whole story."

"You deserved it," he said, and she could tell he meant her personally, not necessarily the whole team. Then Loke offered his hand to help her into the van. "Pizza?"

She chuckled as she settled into her seat. "I'm curious what a sophisticated man like you likes on his pizza."

"I'm a simple man deep down. Pepperoni and mushroom."

"Jalapeños!" Natsu shouted out.

"Pineapples," Gray added.

"Sausage," said Freed.

Natsu sputtered out a laugh with a naughty smile on his face, and Freed's cheeks went red.

"Seriously?" shouted Freed. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Sorry, but the one gay guy in the group and you want sausage."

"Natsu!"

Loke laughed at their playfulness. "How about you, Miss Heartfilia? Which topping would you like?"

"Me? Oh, olives, I guess."

"Yes! Olives!" Natsu shouted. "But _hell no_ to the pineapples. Yuck!"

"Pineapples are good on pizza," Gray argued. "Way better than jalapeños. If you order it with that crap, I'm picking them off and tossing them at you."

"Good, give them to me. I love spicy food. But _no_ pineapples."

Lucy sighed as Gray and Natsu got into an argument that died as soon as the van went into motion, and Natsu suddenly went green. It was good to have the whole team together again, especially now that they were all on the same page and working toward the same goal.


	37. To Respect a Woman

Chapter 37

 **To Respect a Woman**

After the meeting with the king, Gray and Natsu had no more doubts regarding Loke. When Lucy ate lunch with Gray at his favorite bistro, for a change he spoke a lot about work.

Lucy tried to keep up with his conversation, but talking about work made her think too much about the fact that this incredible team was about to be dissolved. Once they finished, _Team Leo_ would no longer be needed. Maybe other projects would come up for the Grand Magic Games and its sponsors, but a power team like theirs was rare in Fairy Tail. Plus, Lucy was rather new compared to many other storyboarders. She still could not understand why Loke picked her and not someone with years more experience.

Her eyes drifted as Gray talked about some mundane drama in his department. She watched the cars going by, a bicyclist zipping past, people going out to lunch or returning with full bellies, and other restaurants along this main boulevard. Then her eyes caught a distinct flash of orange hair. Two eyes were watching her from across the street.

Loke was eating at a French restaurant. Lucy realized he was sitting with the CEO and other executives of Fairy Tail. However, his eyes were on her through a reflective pane of glass.

She jolted and looked down sharply, which caught Gray's attention.

"Are you okay?" He looked around at what might have happened, and then he also saw Loke looking at the two. "Oh, he's across the way." He looked back over to Lucy, and his eyes tensed in sadness. "Mr. Leo mentioned that the king had targeted you. Was Natsu right, and that was the day that picture went around?"

Lucy felt heat in her cheeks. She _did not_ want to talk about that, but still she nodded.

Gray rubbed the back of his neck. "It's been rather insane, hasn't it? I mean, since we've been put on this team, we've gotten to meet the king twice now, and both times were just crazy. That last time especially, Loke arguing with the king like that, and in the middle of a hotel. There was a lot to think about that day, and I barely had time to wonder why the king target would you, of all people. More importantly, why would Mr. Leo care that much about you? I mean, besides that he's your boss, so he feels responsible for your wellbeing."

Lucy wished her face did not feel so hot as he talked.

"Then I thought back. You blush every time he comes near you. His eyes light up simply seeing you in the same room as him. Also, I was there that night months ago, when Mr. Leo received an award, we all partied at Blue Pegasus, and you got ridiculously drunk."

Lucy gasped. That was right, Gray was there that first night, when it all began, and he had been part of the group that stayed until closing.

"You were all over him," Gray muttered softly, "and it was obvious he could barely keep his hands off you. But then you two were so professional at work, I didn't think anything of it at the time. You were just drunk and flirted. But then, you said you were in a _complicated relationship_. You didn't look the least bit surprised when we were in Crocus and the king mentioned Mr. Leo's engagement with his daughter." Gray leaned back and eyed Lucy. "You like him, huh?" he stated. "I can see why you'd break it off, but you still have those feelings. I can totally understand why it was _complicated_ , but now … well, he's free, he's not engaged. I can tell, although you like hanging out with me, you're not ready for more. You still really like him."

"Please, not here," she whispered.

"Hey," Gray said with a smile. "All I'm saying is, we're not dating. We're two friends who go out and have some fun on the weekends. Platonic, that's all. I'm cool with that. If you want to try pursuing him again after all this is over, don't let me hold you back. If it's actually over and you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you."

Lucy sighed, shook her head, and began to laugh. "You really are a unique man, Gray."

"My mother taught me to respect women. More men should try it." Gray reached over and patted her fisted up hands, feeling them trembling. "If it's still too much to be with him, don't force yourself. But if it's something you want, go for it."

"And you?" she asked.

Gray merely shrugged. "I'm not going to try to convince you to pick me instead. That'd make me a manipulative piece of shit. I do like hanging out with you, though. It'd be nice to keep doing that. I'd love to have you cheering for me in the crowd as I play hockey. I've won every game you've attended. I think you're lucky, Lucy."

She giggled softly and nodded. "Yeah, I like to go. It's fun to watch."

"You know, I've said it before, but it's true: you and Mr. Leo really are the same. You're brilliant, you can touch on emotions, and you dazzle everyone around you. I don't think you're even aware of how many people want to ask you out, but they fear rejection."

"How … how many?" she asked, wondering what he meant.

Gray shook his head and muttered too quietly for her to hear, "That poor flame-brain." Then he spoke up again, "How about tomorrow, we eat at the cafeteria with your other friends. I'd love to get into a group like that. Perhaps this weekend, to relax before the big presentation, we can all go to karaoke or something."

Lucy's face beamed even brighter. "I'd love that!"

Gray smiled, glad to see her happy. Sure, she was cute, and he wasn't lying, many people in Fairy Tail had noticed her good looks. Still, Gray just wanted to make sure she was happy. If that was with him, he would count himself blessed, but if it was with another man, he would support her and hope the best for her.

He thanked the heavens that his mother taught him that sort of respect for women.


	38. Presentation Time

Chapter 38

 **Presentation Time**

The day of the competition arrived, and the team from Fairy Tail strode into the Crocus Metro Government building as a powerful, unified group, with Loke in the middle, Lucy to his right, Freed to his left, with Natsu and Gray on the edges. People whispered as they walked by. These people knew the reputation of Fairy Tail.

They stepped into a conference room, and what shocked Lucy was the sudden flash of cameras.

"Fairy Tail, a word about the contest!" a reported shouted.

"They say all jobs for the government go to Sabertooth," another called out.

Loke stepped right in, but the rest of them hesitated. Lucy had thought the presentations would be similar to what they had showed the city planning commission before, just an office with the judges, that's all.

"These sorts of things aren't usually public events," Lucy whispered.

Loke smiled back at her. "This is for the Grand Magic Games. They decided to make it public."

Not only were there reporters. Many top athletes who would be in the Games were there, as were sportscasters and critics who normally reviewed movies. The actual committee members were up in the front and also looked a little surprised by the publicity. Then Lucy caught sight of a man with a massive mustache who stuck out from the rest of the committee.

The king himself had come.

He rose and walked up to Loke. Lucy was by Loke's side and could hear them, but the words the two men exchanged were so soft, she doubted if Gray just behind her could hear.

The king had a smile for the cameras, but his eyes spoke his anger. "We can still come to an amiable understanding. I would hate for you to come all this way just to publicly disgrace yourself on television." He waved over to the committee members, as if he was telling Loke everyone would be fair, but their team knew what he was really saying.

If Loke was not his ally, then he was his enemy.

The king could ruin Loke's career, right here, in front of everyone. There were so many cameras rolling, so many flashes, network television, newspapers, internet journalists. All of them would witness this.

Loke gave a respectful bow with a small yet sly smile. His reply was just as quiet. "There is no changing the mind of a Lion. It _will_ catch what it wants."

The king chuckled cruelly. "Even lions can have their claws crushed." His eyes briefly glanced right at Lucy. "A shame for the rest of your team, but it's your choice, Loke." Then he walked away.

Loke stood there, stiff and staring straight ahead. He had looked so bold and self-assertive a moment ago. Suddenly, he looked stricken, as if he was fearing that he really had damned all of them.

Lucy looked up to him. "Mr. Leo, it's okay. We'll win."

At her confident words, Loke's face firmed back up. "Yeah."

Freed tapped his shoulder. "We put a lot of work into this presentation. We gave it everything we've got."

"I know," said Loke. "I believe in all of you. I just really hope we'll be judged fairly, and I didn't ruin your futures by my own choice."

"We're a team," Gray told him. "What any of us does affects the others, but that's all the more reason to support one another. Your choice was something we were all proud about. No one should _force_ you into marriage."

"That's right," said Natsu. "You did the right thing. The rest is up to how ethical the committee really is."

Loke was glad to hear their support. "To be honest, when I first heard the deal about getting engaged, I thought about going along with it. I thought marriage was, in a sense, not unlike a job."

Lucy was stunned and dismayed. "You did?"

"But…" he said, speaking slowly, with measured out thought, "if I made Fairy Tail the number one agency like that, it wouldn't make the CEO happy." He chuckled to himself. "That tiny old man would probably hit me over the head if I got married for such a stupid reason."

A moment after he finished speaking, a master of ceremonies came up to thank everyone, and private speaking had to stop. It was time now. Either their hard work would pay off, or they would be cheated by the king himself.

Fairy Tail was up first. Loke addressed the crowd and introduced the team. Lucy created the concept, so she stood in the front, and Loke helped her present. Flashes went off the entire time, often distracting Lucy from the words she had practically memorized after reading over them countless times.

" _Dreaming with the one you love._ " That was the theme of their commercial. Sharing the joyous moment with that person.

Lucy spoke to the crowd. "Our athletes aren't going in alone to compete in the Grand Magic Games. There are people who have supported them, watched over them, loved them. Our dreams are carried by the athletes. We want to focus on this, something all people feel."

Gray spoke of the ways they carried the themes message into the commercial, Freed explained the costs, Natsu talked about television slots, and Lucy got the demo commercial going, playing it for everyone on a huge screen up front.

Lucy had watched it dozens of times, and even weeks after she got approval for the concept of this commercial, she could hardly believe that she had created something so emotional.

When it finished, the audience was momentarily in silent awe. Then the athletes in the back broke into an uproarious applause, and gradually everyone began to clap. Loke patted Lucy on the arm. The whole presentation went flawlessly. This was the culmination of all their hard work.

Just as Lucy felt a wave of relief, it was Sabertooth's turn. A group of strong, proud people stepped up. Two were polar opposites, blond with a boisterous grin of confidence, the other dark-haired and quiet, along with a slender woman with short white hair and an elegant lady in a mandarin gown.

Their concept was good, but … it lacked something. Lucy saw it right away now. A few months ago, she would have only vaguely sensed the weakness, but now her awareness was heightened. She saw the missing element right away.

Their concept was _Strength in Hard Times_. It focused on the most powerful athletes, leaving the viewer in awe at their physical power and personal determination. Their budget had not been cut, so they had a famous actor as the narrator, the filming was all high quality, and they had even gotten many popular athletes to showcase. Still, it was missing something the audience could relate to. It was missing that emotional connection.

There was a loud but general applause this time, more like a polite acknowledgement of their hard work rather than the excitement of earlier. Lucy was confident that their commercial was better than Sabertooth's. If it was an ordinary competition, she was positive they would win … but it wasn't.

Lucy took her eyes off the presentation and looked over at the committee. The king was still smirking.

Sabertooth finished, and the committee left to deliberate

Gray murmured, "The king has probably attempted a backroom deal, so committee member won't vote for us."

Lucy looked over in concern. "A backroom deal?"

Freed seemed to have already come to the same conclusion. "It happens all the time. Promises of money, power, favors, royal support."

Natsu looked glum. "You're kidding me."

"Blackmail can even be involved," Gray said dourly. "I bet the committee members _can't_ disobey the king."

Freed corrected, "They could, but they would face financial hardship if they did. We're just lucky the committee isn't chosen by the king himself."

Not even thinking, Lucy grabbed Natsu's hand and hung on in worry. All their work, an obviously superior result, and they could still lose.

Loke came up behind her and whispered, "Don't worry. The entire audience saw both presentations. No matter what happens, at least _they_ know Fairy Tail was the best."

She let go of Natsu's hand and straightened up. Loke was right. Even if politics got in the way, there were reporters here, athletes, coaches, people who could judge without royal influence. They would all realize which was better. Fairy Tail had already fought its best.

She was confident again knowing that in a fair fight, they had dominated over Sabertooth.

It was not long at all before the committee returned.

"See," Freed muttered. "Short deliberation. It's probably unanimous."

The head of the committee went forward to a podium with a mic. "The committee has made our decision."

Lucy was sure it was unconscious, but right at that moment Loke grabbed her hand and held it tightly. She could feel his the anxiety in his trembling fingers, although his face was a blank, confident, unperturbed mask.

"In a nine against two result…"

Natsu hissed softly beside her. It wasn't even a close vote! Beside her, Lucy felt Loke jolt at those numbers, and she squeezed his hand, wishing she could comfort his anxiety. She was still hopeful, but she also felt nervous. This could not only decide Loke's fate, but that of all of Fairy Tail.

"… the winner of the Grand Magic Games advertising account…"

Lucy slammed her eyes shut, praying with all she had.

"… goes to…"


	39. The Final Result

Chapter 39

 **The Final Result**

"… the winner of the Grand Magic Games advertising account goes to … Fairy Tail."

The room buzzed with excitement.

Lucy's eyes opened wide. "What?"

Natsu grabbed her from behind, lifting her off her feet. "We won! We won!"

Gray looked stunned. "This is crazy. It wasn't rigged after all."

Freed beamed the brightest smile Lucy had ever seen from him. "We did it."

The flashes of dozens of cameras filled the room, while in the front row, the king's massive mustache trembled in rage upon hearing the results.

"What's the meaning of this?" he roared. "How did you choose Fairy Tail? Sabertooth was the clear winner."

The committee leader shook his head. "We were all moved by Fairy Tail's campaign. The Grand Magic Games doesn't only belong to the athletes. They are there because of those who support them. If anything, we were won over when we heard how those athletes here today reacted to seeing their families represented in the Fairy Tail commercial." He looked straight at Team Leo. "We won't lie to our hearts, no matter the circumstances."

Freed muttered in a whisper, "Then he _did_ try to bribe them!"

"Besides," the committee leader went on, "everyone in this country saw the presentations. I'm sure they'd all agree with our evaluation. What do you think?" He asked the crowd with the cameras.

At those words, the gallery burst into applause.

"It was awesome!" a GMG athlete shouted.

"We agree that Fairy Tail's campaign was exceptional," a coach cried out.

Reporters began to buzz. "Can you explain why the king said, 'what's the meaning of this?' Was there political sway in the vote?"

"Jason here with _Sorcerer Magazine_. There are rumors of a corrupt relationship between Sabertooth and the king. Can we get a comment on that?"

The king flinched. "What rumors? What is this about?"

A microphone shoved forward. "Your majesty, may we have a word about the statement Princess Aries made earlier today?"

"She did _what_?" he yelled.

The reporter named Jason was persistent, "Also, why is it that you've never allowed another agency to compete for an account? Princess Aries published a letter you had written years ago, bluntly stating that Fairy Tail was never to compete for a government-sponsored ad, and it corresponds to one week after Mister Loke Leo joined the ad agency. Any comment?"

The king stood and backed away. "Ah, sorry, I have an important appointment to make." He took off immediately, but out in the hallway were even more reporters with even more pressing questions.

Loke watched the king getting mobbed, and he smiled craftily. Under his breath, he said, "Sorry, your majesty, but you'll get what you deserve for threatening Fairy Tail."

Lucy looked up to him in shock. Had he and Aries planned this? Had she worked with Loke to bring justice to her own father? Aries really was a kind lady with a pure heart.

The flashes of cameras bathed Fairy Tail in celebratory light. Lucy watched the whole thing in disbelief. While reporters cornered the king about their suspicions of a corrupt relationship, the people from Sabertooth walked over to Loke's group. Leading them was a man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes.

"That was brilliant, Fairy Tail," Sting said, shaking Loke's hand.

Loke clasped his hand back. "I didn't expect you to come here yourself, Mr. Eucliffe."

"It was an important battle. I wanted to see the results for myself."

The bob-haired woman looked excited. "Your idea really touched my heart. I knew we were already defeated. I'm dying to know whose idea it was."

Loke yanked Lucy over. "Gentlemen, ladies, allow me to introduce Lucy Heartfilia, far and away the most brilliant and creative storyboarder I have ever worked with."

With his arm around her shoulder, Lucy's face went pink. "M-Mr. Leo!"

However, his hand slid to her back, and he nudged her forward. Bewildered, all Lucy could do was bow before these people, their biggest rivals.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said formally.

The small girl stuck out her hand. "Yukino Agria. Storyboarder."

Lucy grinned to see a lady with her same job. "Pleased to meet you."

The elegant lady smirked with a curl in her lips of rivalry as she also shook Lucy's hand. "Minerva Orland, Creative Department."

A sober, dark-haired man was the next to shake her hand. "Rogue Cheney, finances. There were rumors that someone in the city tried to sabotage you by cutting your budget. Is that true?"

Loke smiled coolly. "There was a last-minute cut, but we managed."

Lucy wondered how he made that insane slash, cutting their funds by half, sound like merely a small inconvenience.

The blond then grabbed Lucy's hand, surprising her by giving a genteel kiss on her knuckles. "And I'm Sting Eucliffe, CEO of Sabertooth."

"CEO?" Lucy gasped. He was so young!

"You're an impressively creative lady, Lucy Heartfilia." Sting released her hand and laughed. "What can I say? You crushed us. Even I was touched by your campaign concept."

"Th-thank you," Lucy said, overwhelmed by these people with such renown talent now praising an average worker like her. "Your campaign was great as well. No wonder you're the best."

"For how much longer, I wonder," Sting said lightly. "When Mr. Leo here asked us if we'd make this vote a public event, I didn't know what to think. What an insanely bold and confident move that was!"

"What?" Lucy gasped.

Did that mean the press, cameras, athletes, and critics were all Loke's idea? Lucy had been almost certain it was the king who set that up in order to embarrass them before the whole kingdom and ruin Loke's reputation. She looked back at Loke, and he gave her a proud smile.

He said to both their team and Sabertooth, "I was confident that we'd win if the process was fair, and what better way to make sure people with political compromise acted fairly than by exposing them to public scrutiny. I'm grateful that Sabertooth agreed to my request."

Sting just laughed. "How could I say no and not look like a coward?"

Lucy's heart swelled. Loke had believed in her concept, believed in all of their abilities, enough to stake his reputation before the entire nation. Nothing made her happier than to know that.

Sting shook his head. "With that quality, I can see why you were so confident. Miss Heartfilia's ability to connect to the audience on an emotional level was brilliant. We could use someone like her—"

"Hey!" Loke said, and he pulled Lucy back by the shoulder. "No poaching, all right? We _need_ her at Fairy Tail."

"Poaching?" asked Lucy.

"It's pretty obvious," he muttered, glaring at Sting. "The CEO and executives came here specifically to talk to _you_. That's what this is about, isn't it, Mr. Eucliffe?"

Lucy's mouth dropped. Sabertooth … wanted _her_?

As she looked back at them, Sting had a wry smile. "I could make it lucrative. Higher pay, better job title, the best benefits in the industry. How about a desk near the window, or your own private office, if you wish?"

Loke's eyes narrowed. "Fairy Tail is able to give her those things as well."

"Then why haven't you? All you had to do was watch her previous commercials to know she's talented."

Lucy stared in astonishment. "You've watched my commercials?"

Sting chuckled at her shock. "It's what I do. Scout out talent. You, my dear," he said flirtatiously, "are obviously talented. Fairy Tail should have given you a better position months ago."

Loke's eyes were still stern. "This was a test for Ms. Heartfilia, and she's more than proved herself. A raise is obviously in store for every team member, and she'll be raised to a higher tier in the storyboarding department."

Lucy choked back her shock. She knew Loke would get a promotion, but she had not thought any of the rest of the team would as well.

"You're quite personally attached, Mr. Leo," Sting observed. "You're welcome to come with her."

Loke sighed and shook his head. "Don't you get tired of hearing me turn you down?"

"That's another no, then," Sting realized with a pout. "Gotta hand it to you, you're loyal to a fault. You really will keep repaying your debt to that old man until you've made good on your promise."

Lucy's mouth dropped. How did people in Sabertooth know about Loke's promise to Makarov? Then again, Lucy realized that this young man was also a CEO. Maybe that was why he knew about that part of Loke's past.

Minerva stepped up. "You can have _this_ campaign, Fairy Tail, but we won't lose the next one."

"Funny," Natsu said with a fired-up grin. "Neither will we."

Sting cocked his head at Natsu. "Oh? Wanna make a bet on that, Pinkie?"

"You're on!" Natsu yelled.

"Hey, enough," Gray warned, pulling Natsu back. "There are still cameras around. Keep your childhood rivalries for another time."

Lucy was surprised. Childhood rivalries? She had known Natsu most of his life, but Sting was unfamiliar. Perhaps Natsu had kept Lucy out of that rivalry for her own protection. He tended to do that a lot. This explained why Natsu was always so eager to beat Sabertooth.

"Well, a pleasure, Mr. Leo," Sting said, and he shook the hands of each of them. He paused and held Lucy's hand a little longer. "If you're ever bored at Fairy Tail—or just bored—give me a call." Then the Sabertooth team walked away, obviously disappointed, but determined to do better next time.

"You're amazing," Gray praised Lucy. "Sabertooth, our rivals, the number one agency in Fiore, wants _you_ to work for them."

Freed had a smile of agreement. "Now, that's a moment of recognition."

Lucy shook her head, still numbed by it. The CEO had come in hopes of recruiting _her_. "I can't believe it happened," she admitted, yet she smiled at the team, "but I belong in Fairy Tail."

"That's right," Natsu said, shaking her shoulder. "You're _our_ Lucy."

Loke smiled without saying a word. He looked proud, but also relieved to hear her say that.

"Well," Freed said over the noise of the crowd. "This is where our real work begins."

"That's right," Loke said in his business tone. "We've only passed the presentation stage. This is for the Grand Magic Games; a simple demo and mock financial strategy isn't enough at this level. There's a lot of work to be done."

"Yeah, that's true," said Lucy.

"The GMG," Natsu exclaimed with a gleam in his eyes. "A job like that, and it's really ours."

Gray hit him across the head. "Stupid. That's what this was all for, right?"

"Shut up, frost face! I'm just shocked. I don't think Fairy Tail has ever had such a huge client like this."

"That's right," said Freed. "We'll need everyone's strength in the battles ahead."

While they were talking, the reporters had once again crowded around Loke.

"How do you feel right now, Mr. Leo?"

"Can you comment on the surprise budget slash?"

"Will you have more competitions like this with Sabertooth?"

"Mr. Leo, there are rumors about Princess Aries…"

Lucy watched him from a slight distance. Loke had always felt like someone on a pedestal, a celestial being worlds away from her. Now she was by his side, yet still he was in the light of the cameras, while she could only watch his back.

Natsu stepped up next to her. "Good work, Lucy."

"Oh! Yeah, good work, Natsu. We actually did it."

"Yeah, hardly feels real." He pouted as he looked at the throng of reporters surrounding the ginger Creative Director. "You know, I always thought there was something shady about Mr. Leo."

Lucy jolted over. "Shady? Really?"

"It's like he's too perfect. He can do it all. But, well … I get why you like him, too." His quiet voice did not contain any of the anger and frustration it had before. He had been so worried about her, but now he knew his interference had resulted in—or at least influenced—her and Loke breaking up.

"Natsu," she muttered, "I'm sorry I worried you. You were right. That kind of relationship without any stability isn't for me."

"Yeah, obviously you're too innocent," he said in a slightly teasing tone. Then his face looked pensive again, and he said in a soft mumble, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be _that kind of relationship_ anymore."

Lucy looked over in surprise. Natsu looked a little disappointed, like he was giving up something.

Natsu let out a little sigh. "You know," he said, looking like he did not really want to say this. "He's not engaged now."

Lucy felt her heart thump. "I know … but…"

He laughed and lightly punched her shoulder. "Hey, go for what makes you happy."

She gulped, realizing how hard it was for him to say that to her. She gave him a small nod, a silent thanks, and a promise that they would always be friends.

Just then, Loke finished with the reporters and walked up to them. Both of them bowed slightly to him, but Natsu drifted off to talk with Gray, giving Lucy one last pat on the back. Lucy licked her lips nervously as she stood in front of Loke.

He gazed out at the room, still alive with excitement. Lucy could not get Natsu's words out of her head. She had told herself to give up on Loke so many times, but now, standing next to him in victory … she just knew.

She still had feelings for him.

Not just that, but they had actually grown more intense during this time of separation.

"It's over, eh?" Lucy said, pretending to act calm and cool.

His expression suddenly looked stern. "No. There's one important piece remaining."

"Oh, right. The ceremony afterwards. I promise," she laughed, "no drinking for me."

He smiled lightly. "No, not that."

"Oh? What?"

Loke's fingers wrapped around her hand, so warm and soft with those long fingers. He looked at her with a serious expression, then silently led her through the room toward the exit, rushing a bit to get past reporters.

"Mr. Leo!" she said, trying to keep up. "The ceremony is supposed to start right after this." Besides, if anyone saw him holding her hand like that…

Yet he kept her hand in a tight grip. "I don't have to be here for the rest of it," he said. "I already asked Freed to handle the press."

Confused, she left the presentation room with Loke pulling her urgently along.


	40. Stellar Ending

Chapter 40

 **Stellar Ending**

Lucy was pulled by Loke all the way out of the city building to his car in the parking lot. They got in, and Loke slowly stepped on the gas. The car was silent as they drove through the busy streets of Crocus. Neither of them said a word for a long time.

Lucy could not understand. Why would he leave everyone in there and go early on such an important day like this? It was not like him at all.

She gazed at his profile while he drove, hoping he would not notice. This profile of him in the driver's seat, his eyes intensely forward on the road, the paleness of his knuckles as he held the steering wheel, was a sight she had not seen for a while, and her heart thumped wildly.

"Sorry for taking you away," he finally said, as if just realizing she might have wanted to enjoy the ceremony and party.

"Oh, no, it's fine. Parties aren't my thing."

"It looked like you were in the middle of talking with Natsu."

"No, we'd just finished."

They fell silent again, and Lucy desperately searched for something to say.

"So … h-how have you been?" She cringed at how pathetic that sounded. Loke laughed, and Lucy felt even more desperate. "S-sorry. I mean—"

"Fine. I've been fine." The car pulled over to an empty spot at some meter parking and eased to a stop. Loke turned toward her, and his piercing green eyes looked directly into hers. "And how have you been?"

"M-me? I've been completely focused on work." For Loke. For closure. She wanted to add that, but the words did not come out.

She had thought that this would be the first and last campaign she would create with Loke. She wanted to give it her all from start to finish, to help him on his ambitious road, and to stand aside as he strode proudly forward. She thought seeing this through to the end would also end her emotional pain. However, now that it was over, she did not get that sense of closure. No matter how hard she worked, her feelings for Loke consumed her.

Still, she had been the one to break things off. She had told him she was tired of it, since they had not even really begun anything. They went all out of order. What even were they? A powerful man and a booty call? She didn't want that, so she broke it off.

Then he severed his plans for an engagement, but he said it was because if he won that way, Makarov would not be happy. As much as she really wanted to think he did it just for her, that was delusional. He did it for whatever promise he had made.

Everything he did was for Fairy Tail, not her … right?

Still, she hung on to the faint hope of _maybe_. It was a sign of obsession, and she hated it, but she knew deep in her heart, she was crazy for him. She slept with him when she was really drunk and could not remember much of that night. She slept with him again and thought it was a one-night stand, but before she knew it, her feelings for him grew. Again and again, she ended up in bed with him, and pure physical need turned into deep emotional craving. She had always admired him from afar, but it turned into something more, something real.

Loke looked hesitant to speak. "… I …" He turned away from Lucy and looked at the windshield as he spoke gently. "I … was desperate. I knew that this was the critical moment. I had to get it right."

She nodded, figuring he meant winning at the presentation to make good on his promise to Makarov. He had said that this presentation was a battle that he could not lose. He had even bowed before Natsu and the team and asked for their help. Incredibly, they emerged victorious. Once they pulled off the Grand Magic Games campaign, the dream of becoming the number one agency might no loner be so crazy anymore.

"I was desperate because … there was something I'd been wanting for a long time. It isn't easy to get something when you really want it."

Lucy hummed. "I suppose that's true." For her, that was none other than Loke. He was so close now, and they were alone together for the first time in many weeks. However, she knew not to say some things. Certain words had always been forbidden between them.

"I was willing to give up everything," Loke went on. "I thought about everything I've built, years of climbing higher and higher, and still, I wanted this badly enough to throw all the rest away. This is the first time I've felt this way." He chuckled. "It confused me."

Lucy blinked. He would throw everything away to get it? But then he wouldn't be able to bring Fairy Tail to the top. She remembered what Sting had said. Loke _could_ be working at Sabertooth if he gave up on trying to make Fairy Tail the top agency. He apparently kept turning them down. He could have rose quicker in Sabertooth, yet he stayed with Fairy Tail.

"I don't remember feeling attached to many people in my life," Loke went on. "Even marriage was something I saw as a mere contract. It wasn't really important to me."

Lucy frowned in confusion. What was he talking about? She listened, trying to grasp his meaning.

"And yet," Loke said with a sigh, "I've realized that it's actuality incredibly meaningful. There's no happier thing than the irreplaceable experience of being with the one you love."

Lucy's eyes widened. ' _The one you love? What … what is he saying?_ '

Loke gazed longingly at her. "When I realized that, I couldn't continue as I had been. I knew I had to take that risk, because nothing else was more important than that love I found. Whatever the outcome, I wanted to act with pride, to forget everything else and try again." He tenderly laid his hand over hers. "It started that first night. I could hardly control myself around you, even before we went to that hotel. The reason I slept with you wasn't because you were cute, or you complimented an old commercial of mine. It was your sincerity that enchanted me," he confessed. "As I got promoted and further removed from the actual work, I forgot something important along the way. I lost sight of myself, but you reminded me of who I really am. And I adored you for that."

Lucy's mouth dropped in surprise. He said he slept with her because she was cute. She thought there was no deeper meaning behind it. Now he was confessing this?

"Do you remember what I told you before the presentation started?" He gazed back out at the windshield, like he was thinking back. "About the engagement … I considered going along with it."

"Yeah," Lucy muttered.

"To me, it wasn't a _good_ idea, it just wasn't a _bad deal_ , either. I'm not interested in involving myself with politicians, but if I had married Aries, I know that I'd get the power I needed to make Fairy Tail number one."

Lucy hummed and nodded. She realized, with his lofty goals, that sort of power would have been tempting, although he probably did not want to get involved with politics because of his wealthy family.

"Like I told you, up until recently, I thought of marriage as a type of job. It's how I was raised, how my family saw it, that to enter the contract of marriage, it had to socially or financially benefit both parties." He looked at her, a sad expression on his face.

Lucy said nothing, but that was exactly the kind of person she had thought he was at first. He would have entered a loveless marriage for the sake of a promotion.

"But," he went on, "I also felt like there was something not quite right about it. The old me, the way I was before promotions and promises, would have wanted to win on my ability alone, not through a spineless trick of _using_ a woman like that."

Although he said the words calmly, Lucy saw the sorrow in his face. It looked like he was telling her something he had kept bottled up for a long time.

"I had climbed so high chasing an ephemeral dream, I couldn't see reality anymore. It was like I was living in a haze, until one day, you opened my eyes and my heart. Even before that first night, I would watch your progress, the growth you made in Fairy Tail, your early commercials and how rapidly you grew in creativity. You made me remember the old me … made me value that _me_. Always voracious, always positive. Whenever you were working hard at something, you were just like I was. You possess something that I'd forgotten somewhere along the way."

Lucy could hardly believe she was hearing these words, but Loke reached out to place his hand over hers. That warmth made her heart race. Even thought they had slept together multiple times, such a simple thing as his touch still thrilled her.

"You told me that first night that you admired me, but … I admired you for a long time. You inspired me long before we slept together. Yet I worried so much that I was doing the wrong thing. I told myself that I couldn't be serious about you, not when I might be getting engaged. It wouldn't have been fair to you. I thought I could leave it as a one-night stand, but I just _couldn't_. I knew I needed your talent on the GMG account, but watching you work stirred those memories of the _old me_. You had so much potential, and I was greedy, wanting to cull it out of you, wanting to watch that growth myself. I wanted to see you rise like a star, Lucy. And I did. And it was _glorious_. And I fell so madly for you."

His words took her breath away. She tried to look aside, but Loke took her chin, pulling her face back to him.

"Maybe I'm still being greedy, but … I want to try again. I want to be with you, unencumbered and in the open, so that I can win your heart for real this time. It was _that_ desire that got me through to the presentation today. I had to win this, not just for Fairy Tail, not just for the promise I made to Makarov, but for you. After all the pain I put you through, I needed to prove that I was worthy of those feelings we could not say to one another."

Lucy dropped her eyes, completely stunned. She recalled, their last time making love, he had sounded so regretful as he realized she was refusing to tell him her real feelings, and he had said it was his fault. She had thought that would be their last night together, and she would never touch his man again. Now, here he was.

"You're a scoundrel, you know that?"

He laughed quietly. "I am. I'm sorry. I can't apologize enough."

Lucy smiled to herself. "You can be a scoundrel around me."

That reply stunned him. "Oh?"

"Because I'm a scoundrel too. I knew we were pretending you might not be getting engaged, that what we were doing was wrong … I knew that." Yes, she knew, but she still wanted him. Even if their relationship was complicated, she was fine with that, so long as she had him.

He looked at her seriously. "I said that I didn't think that night was a mistake, but it's like you said. We never actually _started_ anything. So I … I want you to let me start something now. However, you need to tell me if this isn't what you want."

He slowly brought his face closer to Lucy's, but he did not kiss her. She wanted him to, and she could see that he was barely holding himself back. Their lips were close enough to feel each other's heat.

"How do you feel about me?"

Lucy pouted. He obviously knew how she felt, but he was making her say it.

"You know already, right?"

"Tell me," he insisted.

"You really are a scoundrel."

"I know," he admitted with a tiny smile.

"I … I think you're brilliant at your job, and you're my inspiration."

"Uh-huh," he said, gazing at her lips as they trembled to speak.

"I think … you're kind, but you don't let people know what you're feeling."

"Guilty."

"And yet, despite all of that…" Her voice choked up.

"Tell me. Please," he requested, watching with desire and hope.

It was safe now, she told herself. It was safe to say it, and now she _needed_ to. She had wanted to tell him for so, so long, and now it was safe to say the words.

"… I love you."

As soon as she said it, Loke leaned in to seal their lips with a kiss. He had simply been waiting to finally hear her say it. His lips were soft, and Lucy felt his hand cup her cheek with tenderness.

She could not ignore this feeling anymore. Maybe part of it was _just for fun_ ; maybe others would have labeled it as a _booty call_. Still, the emotions were serious, and she refused to hide them anymore. She threw her arms around Loke's neck and took the initiative to deepen their kiss. He seemed to really like that assertive side of her.

Their kisses grew hotter. In that car, stopped on the side of a busy main road, all the love they felt for one another ignited. Their ardent kisses continued, leaving them gasping for breath. Lucy was hardly even thinking as her hand landed on Loke's thigh and slowly began to slide up, wanting to know if he felt the same as her in _that way_ as well.

Loke finally pulled back, and pressed her hand away. "Once we start, there's no stopping us."

"S-sorry," she said, holding the offending hand. What had she been trying to do, and _in public_?

"Lucy," he said, touching her cheek again. "I may not be the perfect man you think I am, but I have never been so enamored with someone before as I am with you. I promise to show you, and only you, the real me from now on. No more holding back, no more hiding things, no more biting back the words we want to say." He gave her a firm kiss, and his mouth fluttered against her lips as he whispered, "I love you."

Hearing those words from him sparked through Lucy. She grabbed him and kissed him harder. The car again filled with the sound of their lips and tongues.

"I love you, Loke," Lucy moaned.

Loke pulled back and gazed fervently at her. "I love you, too." Then he laughed and blushed slightly. "We finally said it."

She chuckled as well. She had drunkenly said those words once, but now she felt like she could say them over and over. "I love you … so much."

She realized, now they were free. She could tell whomever she wanted. They would accept it when she explained how she felt.

They kissed again, and this time when Lucy's hand slid along Loke's thigh, he did not push it away. However, she only briefly felt what she wanted to explore. That was enough, to feel it, to know he enjoyed it that much, and to bask in the brightness of his love. They abandoned words, and everything was spoken with more amorous kisses.

Loke's phone rang, but he ignored it, caught up in her kiss. Then Lucy's phone began to ring too.

Lucy pulled back, panting hotly. "They might be calling us back for the ceremony."

"Do you really want to go back?" he asked, still kissing her and ignoring the phones.

Lucy moaned. "I like this better."

Their phones kept ringing, but they could not keep their mouths apart. They did not notice the traffic shooting by them. They simply lost themselves in each other's kisses.

Finally, Loke pulled back. "I think we're at a choice. We can find a hotel here in Crocus, or we can return to the party."

Lucy hummed sensually. "How about we return, we tell the team we're a couple, and we can see about that hotel later tonight?"

"Can I be a scoundrel and give you a kiss in front of one of the cameras? Then we don't have to bother with telling all of our coworkers that we're together."

Lucy laughed and smacked his arm playfully. "That's awful." However, she smirked. "I _like_ it."

"You really are a scoundrel too." He straightened up in his seat and turned the car back on. "Although, Natsu's going to scold me."

"Natsu?" she asked in confusion.

"He's really protective over you."

"Oh. Because we're childhood friends."

Loke chuckled and shook his head as he eased back into traffic. "Yeah … because you're _childhood friends_."

"What? What is that supposed to mean?"

"You really are a naïve little girl."

"Hey! That's rude."

"You're brilliant with your work, but you're a bit ignorant at times."

She huffed and folded her arms. "You're being mean to me."

"Of course I am." He smiled over at her. "I like to see how my girlfriend reacts when I tease her."

"G-g-girlfriend," she gasped.

"That's what we agreed upon, right? We're an official couple now. Do I need to say 'Will you go out with me' to make you realize that?"

"It might have been nice to hear."

"Then, how about it? Will you be my girlfriend?"

She giggled and blushed. "Yes."

"And will you be my lover later tonight?"

"Mmm, definitely _yes_ ," she said sensually.

Loke chuckled and focused on the road. "It's going to be hard, not touching you until tonight."

"Perhaps I want to keep you _hard_ until tonight. It's your punishment for touching me while I was drunk."

"Fair enough. If holding myself back will forgive me from that sin, I'll accept it." His eyes slid over to her. "Perhaps redemption will take a long, long time."

"Perhaps it will," she said with a secretive smile. "You could be working toward redeeming yourself for a quite a while."

"Years?" he asked.

"Maybe."

"A lifetime?"

"Hey! Don't get ahead of yourself."

Loke laughed and reached over to hold her hand. "You already know, I tend to do things and say things because I simply want to."

"Yes, because you're a scoundrel."

"Indeed."

She scooted over and leaned on his shoulder as he waited at a red light. "Then I can also be a scoundrel and say I hope you'll be redeeming yourself for a long, long time."

Loke tipped her chin up and gave her a kiss. "That's a heavenly blissful punishment."

"Well, it was one stellar mistake."

"Only the fact that you were drunk, I hope."

"Only that. I wanted it, you wanted it, so we did it, and I don't regret it. You shouldn't have done it, though. That was awfully perverted of you."

"I know, and I swear I'll never touch you when you're drunk again, even if you throw yourself at me half naked like you did that night."

"Oh!" She huffed and blushed as she turned aside. "Let's never mention that night to anyone."

They drove along, returning to the government building.

"Hey, Lucy."

She looked over, no longer hearing the teasing in his voice, and instead a bit of the business tone.

"The project, what you did, what you came up with … it really was brilliant. I had something in mind right away, of course, but I saw so much potential in your other projects, I wanted to give you this chance. I wasn't just sweet-talking you. Long before that first night, I admired your work greatly, and somehow you came up with almost the same thing I initially had in mind, only better, fresher, you put your own spin on it, and it was phenomenal. It won! You, Freed, Gray, Natsu, you all put in so much effort, combining all the assets that make Fairy Tail so great, and which will catapult us into being number one in Fiore, I just know it." He glanced over at her with a smile. "I am truly honored to have such a brilliant and creative person as my girlfriend."

Her eyes widened and her face went red.

"You look like a tomato," he teased.

"Hey! You just came out of nowhere saying that; of course I'm blushing."

He reached over while they were stopped at another light and squeezed her hand. "We're going to make a good team, you and I. I hope you lend me your brilliance through many more trials, both at work and as a couple."

She squeezed his hand, happy to be by his side.

* * *

They drove back to the government building, entered the party underway, and explained things to the team. The fact that they were holding hands so openly proved that the rumors they all had already heard were true. Gray hugged Lucy in congratulations. Natsu predictably berated Loke and gave vague threats of what he would do if Lucy was hurt. Freed merely shook Loke's hand, proud to see his friend finally in love.

Sure enough, they kissed in front of a camera, and that picture ended up on the front page the next morning. Fairy Tail exploded in gossip for weeks. Cana and Levy pressed Lucy for all the juicy details, and the progress they made was all the talk during their lunch break.

Even Gray and Natsu were curious about how their dates went; Gray because he wanted to support Lucy, Natsu because he wanted to make certain that she was safe and happy. When there was backlash from Loke's family about him choosing a commoner over the king's daughter, Gray and Natsu fiercely defending Lucy, protecting her from their cruel words, until finally Loke convinced the Regulus Clan to relent.

It was not easy at times, but Lucy stayed by Loke's side, and he stayed loyal, defending her, praising her, assisting her, fighting together in the weeks and months that followed, with assignment after assignment, job after job, ad after ad, all pouring in. They became known as _the power couple of Fairy Tail_ : the heart-filled storyboarder and the lion-like director.

When Loke was promoted, Lucy was there to celebrate with him. When Makarov gave Loke a tearful handshake at the news that Fairy Tail had beaten out Sabertooth as number one, Lucy got to watch it all. She was not just in the shadow of Loke's shining brilliance, either. She was beside him, standing together as equals. They were professional at work, adored one another in private, voracious at night, domestic in the morning, always giving one another glances, smiles, and light teases.

On the opening night of the Grand Magic Games, sitting in the stadium with many friends from Fairy Tail to watch the athletes march onto the field, Loke surprised Lucy by getting down on one knee and presenting her with a diamond ring. She tearfully said yes, and Levy, Cana, Freed, Gray, and Natsu partied with them afterward. They all realized, this was the perfect ending for all the work they did, the deep bonds that formed during that exciting time when they fought as a team to make history.

As she laid in bed, with Loke asleep and his arms wrapped around her, Lucy looked down at the sparkling engagement ring. She sighed happily, grateful for that _stellar mistake_ that brought about so much love and joy into her life.

 **The End**


End file.
